Moments of Pleasure
by funnygirl00
Summary: The first time they met, he needed her help, but he saved her. Many years later, she gets the chance to return the favor...with her life.
1. 1: Prologue

**Ok, this is my first Peaky Blinder fic and I hope I can do it justice. I own nothing, except for Katherine Kovach. Everything belongs to their perspective owners. **

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**One note is that, I don't write using strong language, so some of the characters have undergone a bit of a minor scrubbing. (Probably a crime on the Peaky Blinders fandom, but I can't change my ways.)**

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**Note for the non-English: Katherine is inspired by my favorite English artist, Kate Bush. (I used her image in the cover with Cillian Murphy.) Every chapter title, is one of her songs. Hopefully people check her music out, she is one of the most creative artists I've ever hear.**

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Chapter one: Prologue

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She ran.

She ran violently down the streets as if her feet were on fire. She'd lost her bodyguards an hour ago, but she wasn't going to stop running. She was sick, sick of her life and sick of living. She wanted out. She flung off her feathered green hat into the mud. Her gloves and various pieces of jewelry followed suit as well. Whoever found her jewelry would be one lucky person.

She leaned against a wall, gasping for air. Her lungs burned and it was freezing cold outside, in addition to the pouring rain. The rain suited her purpose; no one could see she'd been crying. She inhaled and closed her eyes, wishing that the pain she'd felt deep inside her would stop.

The sound of sloshing footsteps caused her to jump. Her bodyguards might have found her again! She turned and continued down the cobblestone patch. Noticing a stable, she turned and headed in. she hurried to hide behind a wagon, which was next to a mound of hay. She ducked behind it and covered her mouth. If she were lucky, they'd run right on by her.

"Curly, tell me." The man had a non-Russian accent, causing her to exhale in relief. She'd really escaped her guards this time.

"It's a curse, Tom." The man explained. However, his definition of a cruse caused her to frown."

"Curly, Curly," the man, Tom, shushed Curly, trying to calm him down. The man had a soothing tone to him. "Curly, Curly. Tell me. Tell me, Curly. What's wrong with the horse?" her ears perked up now. She loved horses; her mother had taught her everything to know about horses. She knew things most people didn't know about horses.

"You bought her at the fair in bad feeling. The Lees put a bad seed in the hoof." She rolled her eyes. People were still superstitious down here about such things. "Got an old woman to put a spell."

All is silent for a moment, before Tom spoke again. "So…those Lee bastards cursed her?" She peeked up over the haystack cautiously. She could hear in the man's voice that he loved horses and he didn't want the horse hurt.

"Whatever it is," the third man says, as he finally stood up from his bench. She couldn't believe that he really hadn't heard her come in the stable. "he says its spread to the other feet."

Tom was slowly running his hands through his hair, trying to absorb all the information. "It's going to his heart by tomorrow, I'd say." Curly's voice rose. "Seen curses like this twice. Can't take them back, Tom. No."

"I told you, Tommy." The third man said. "Better enemies to have than black-blood Gypsies."

Tommy stopped running his hand through his hair and straightened up, exhaling. "Get out."

The other man was silent for a while before walking to her hiding spot. "Get out, Curly." He snapped at the other man who scurried to do as he ordered.

It was silent for a moment, before she heard a gun being cocked. She peered over the hay to see Tommy pointing a gun at the horses head!

"Stop!" She screamed, causing the man to whip around. "Wait! Don't!" she kept her hands up above her head as she hurried towards the horse. "Please, let me see him!"

"Who the hell are you?" the third man demanded as he and Curly reentered the stable. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm nobody." She stated bluntly, as Tommy lowered his gun. "I was just passing through and I was waiting for the rain to stop."

"He's been cursed!" one of the man claimed. "The infection will go to his heart. He won't make it."

She stepped closer to the men. "My mother was a horse doctor; she taught me everything I know. I can help." She pushed past Tommy towards the horse. She petted the horse's nose, marking his eyes, noting he was calm. She ran her hand down the leg, nearly gagging at the smell of the horses hoof. Yes, the tissue of the foot was starting to turn black, but he had a good chance. She spun around and stated. "I need water, bandages, iodine and honey. Also, clear out all of this straw in here, immediately."

"It can't be cured." Curly stated.

"I have seen this before and I've yet to see a horse die from the cure." All the men stood there, debating. "There is still time to save him, but we must move quickly."

"Why should I trust you?" Tommy finally spoke, his cold blue eyes studying her. "You look like a mad woman."

"Possibly one of the better dressed mad women you've seen, I'll wager." His brow rose disapprovingly, but she held his gaze. "He's a beautiful horse, and I know you don't want to see him suffer. I can cure him."

"Curly is one of the best men I know when it comes to horses. You just came in off the street." He studied her before asking. "Why should I trust you?"

"Because I'm willing to make a bargain on his life." She held the man's cold gaze, unflinching. "If he's still standing by tomorrow, you'll know I'm right and the cure worked."

"And if you're wrong?"

"Then you can shoot me with the same gun you use to shoot the horse." While the men were shocked, she was hoping that this man was cold hearted enough to honor her request.

His eyes narrowed. "You're that sure?"

"No one's sure in this hell we're living. I just stopped caring about living years ago." She held his gaze. "I don't mind dying knowing that I tried to save the life of a beautiful horse."

He was silent for a bit before stating. "We'll give it a try."

She turned and grabbed a rake and started shoveling away the straw. The men looked oddly at her, but said nothing. Curly helped her shovel the straw while the other man collected the items. Tommy, stood there and surveyed everyone she wasn't sure who he was, but he was a boss man. That much was obvious.

She sang, quietly chanting to calm and soothe the horse down. The horse was jittery as she cleaned out the hoof, using water first. "What's his name?" she questioned.

"Don't have one yet." He and Curly watched her as she carefully removed the blackened tissue, which flaked away under the careful touch.

Then, she soaked the sponge in iodine and looked up at him. "Hold onto his head, he isn't going to like this." he nodded and she quickly placed the sponge on the hoof, instantly causing the horse to let out a high-pitched neigh in pain and dance around the stable. She remained calm, somehow maintaining a grip on the hoof, moving with him as she waited for him to stop dancing around. She then wiped every inch of the hoof with iodine.

"Honey and bandages." She ordered. He then watched as she rubbed honey over every crevice of the hoof. She then bandaged the hoof tightly, before releasing the horse's leg. She patted his neck, crooning something gently. "Leave the hoof down, so the blood will circulate." She yawned and went to sit down on the bench. "I'll stay here until the morning."

"It's not right for a lady to be here by herself."

"A lady wouldn't be out in this dark part of town," she stated pointedly. "I came down here to be alone and instead, met you three." She yawned and propped her feet up on the bench, lay down and closed her eyes. "I doubt anything's going to happen to me tonight. If anything did, I wouldn't care."

"You don't value your life."

"A sound observation." She stated bitterly as before yawning. "I'm actually hoping that this treatment fails and you shoot me."

"I wouldn't shoot you."

"Pity." She shifted around a bit. "The way my life is going…it won't take long for me to die."

"Never discount your life." he stated quietly. "Giving up may free you, but it brings hell to those who knew you." she bit her lip and clenched her fist. "I think I know you." her eyes flew open. "I've seen your kind. You lost someone…and now you think your life is over." Her heart flew up into her chest. How could he have made such an observation? "Whoever you lost…what do you think he'd say?"

She turned onto her side, keeping her back to the man. She bit her lip. He was right, even though she'd never admit it. Emmett wouldn't have wanted her to die. But why live in a world without him?

She stirred and fell off the bench into the pile of hay. She groaned and spat out the hay as she stood up. Her mahogany hair was probably a mess, but she didn't care. She got up and walked over to the horse. He nickered approvingly at her, causing her to smile.

She undid one of the ropes, preparing to walk him around the stall. "What are you doing?" she spun around to see Tommy entering the stall, cigarette in his mouth.

She held the rope out to him. "Walking him. I need to see if he's limping."

He nodded and turned. "Curly! Uncle!" both men came hurrying in the room. "Moment of truth." He took the rope from her hands and led the horse out. The horse walked calm and smoothly, no signs of any limping. All the men exhaled in relief. Tommy actually cracked a faint smile, which made her smile in return.

"I don't even know your name."

"I'd like to keep it that way." She said softly. "I bring bad luck to everyone I meet."

"I doubt that." he handed the rope of the horse back to curly. "You cured him and for that I owe you something. Allow me to repay you."

She bit her lip and asked. "Can I name him?"

"Depends if I like the name."

She chuckled at his blunt tone. "Aspen."

"Aspen?" he asked.

"It's a white tree that grows in America. The leaves quake as the wind blows, but they always stand strong and upright.

"You're an American?"

"Partly." She exhaled as she rubbed her arms. "I'm not sure what I am anymore. I need to go. My father and brother probably have men out combing the city."

"I can give you a ride."

She smiled. "As delightful as that sounds, I need to walk. Think, clear my head."

He nodded. "I understand."

She held out her hand to him. "Goodbye."

His brow rose as he shook her hand. "Fancy lady like you shaking hands."

She smirked at him. " Good day gentlemen."

"Miss," he called after her. She paused and turned towards him in acknowledgement. "Hang in there. You never know who'll need your help when you're gone. The world could be a lot darker without you in it."

She nodded as before turning and walking down the street. She wasn't sure where she was going, but her heart felt a little lighter now having bumped into that man Tommy.


	2. 2: The Morning Fog

Chapter two: The Morning Fog

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_10 years later, 1929_

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Kate drew her scarf tighter around her neck. It was getting colder now as it drew towards the end of November. She kept a tight grip on her case of pencils and papers. She loved writing out in weather like this. Gave her a very lovely feeling of being trapped inside 'Wuthering Heights,' she could see how the weather of England had inspired Emily Bronte.

Somewhere, in the distance, a man yelled. An agonizing yell that was full of darkness and pain. The sound of it caused her to stop in place and listen. A second later, there was a gunshot, causing her to jump. Splintering bark in the tree next to her caused her to scream as she realized that a bullet had hit the tree near her. She dove down to the ground, scanning the area looking for the shooter.

"Hello?"

She held her breath, her hand resting on the knife she had tucked into her garter. She mentally cursed herself for forgetting her derringer today. But how was she to know that today she would be getting shot at?

"Hello?" the voice repeated, drawing closer. "Did I hurt ya?"

To the man's credit, he sounded genuinely concerned. She inhaled as the shadowy figure drew closer. She inhaled and spoke. "I'm fine." The man's pace quickened and she sat up from her fallen position on the ground. "I'm unharmed." She drew her long skirt back around her ankles, covering up the knife incase she needed to threaten him with it.

The shadowy figure broke through the mists, giving them each a clear view of each other. He had a gun tucked in his holster and from the smell of gunpowder; she had estimated that he had been the one to shoot at her. She hoped it was accidental.

He knelt beside her, his eyes scanning her. "Sorry. Are you sure alright?" He assured her as he helped her up. "I didn't know anyone was here."

She exhaled. "I'm alright." She said calmly as she studied his face. He looked familiar to her, those cold, yet wild, blue eyes were particularly familiar to her. However, there was something in his countenance that suggested that there was a raging turmoil swirling deep inside this man's soul. Part of her wondered if her screaming had interrupted a suicide attempt. "Are you alright?" she inquired. His attire, though the finest, was in a state of disarray and his hair hung across his eyes.

That question, only served to cause a spark of anger to flash in his eyes. "Who are you?" he demanded. "You're on my property."

"Katherine carter," she held his gaze, not daring to look at the pistol in his hand. "I've got permission from Mrs. Lizzie Shelby to be here."

"Liz," he spat the name as if it were a curse. Kate frowned. Lizzie was a charming woman; at least, that's what her first impression had been of her yesterday morning. Maybe there was a darker side to her that this man was aware of. "I shoulda known."

"She's letting me rent the cottage over the hill for a few months." she pointed into the forest towards the nearly abandoned cottage. "I'm a writer and I spent many a pleasant summer here as a child. It's also quiet this time of year, so, there wouldn't be any distractions."

""I'm Thomas Shelby." He states, as if he's attempting to drive a point home to her. "It's my property. No matter what my wife says. I make all the decisions."

"I'm sorry, but I wasn't to know that, was I?" she knelt and picked up the fallen papers. "I only just made the agreement with her this morning and she said you wouldn't be back for a few days. I haven't moved in yet, so, if you change your mind, relocating is no trouble."

He picked up a few papers and handed them to her, along with her book. He peers at the book closely. She hesitates before stating. "It's a really good book."

"I'm not familiar with the author." He says as he hands her back the book. "Unusual title. Plum Bun?"

"Yes." She doesn't take it right away. "Jessica Redmon Fauset, is an African American writer, this is her second novel. It's selling rather well in the states."

His brow arches. "That explains your accent. You're an American?"

"Yes, I'm from America, California, in particular." She takes the book back from him. "Is it obvious?"

"You're a little dark and you've a trace of an American accent."

"How astute of you to notice." She crosses her arms, bites her lip and asks. "I'm assuming that since you now know I should be here, that I should look for a new place to live?"

"Dunno, we'll see how much trouble you cause." She exhaled in relief. "Come by tomorrow and we'll discuss terms of your rent. Your first month will be a trial to see if it'll work."

She nods. "Thank you Mr. Shelby. My name is Katherine Carter, by the way."

His eyes narrow. "_You're _Katherine carter?" She nods. "The American romance novelist?"

"Yes." Her eyes narrowed slightly. "I'm surprised you even know who I am. I'd have figured a man like you would be strictly interested in current affair and didn't read much more than a newspaper. Or if you did pick up a book, it would be more historical or political."

"You'd be right." He stated dryly. "My wife and aunt read your novels. They enjoy them."

"I gathered from Lizzie's reaction. She's a nice woman."

"Till you get to know her." He muttered as he picked up his flat cap, slapping it against his knee. Again, she got the feeling that things weren't as perfect as they could be with Mr. Shelby and Mrs. Shelby. "Will tomorrow at noon suit you?"

She nods. "Yes, it will."

"Right. Evening." He dips his head in acknowledgement before turning and walking back in the direction of the mansion.

"Good evening Mr. Shelby. He doesn't even bother to look back and acknowledge her. Kate smiles slight as she kneels, pulls out her pencil and begins to scribble down frantically on her paper.

_With that, he walked away from her, the mist swirling around them. It was as she'd feared, he was lost to her. The years had changed him, made him into a man whose heart had been locked behind a door for so long, it was as if he no longer had a heart. She knew she wasn't the one to open it. How could she open it? She wasn't who he needed._

_The years had fused his heart shut, leaving him an empty man, whose shoulders now bore the weight of the world. She simply wasn't strong enough to help him bear that weight and she prayed that he'd find someone who could help him with that burden. God help that woman who did. For her days would be full of pain until she got that man to love again._

Kate stood up, studying Thomas Shelby's vanishing figure. He was interesting man, probably dangerous, she could feel that. However, there was something inside her that insisted that she knew him. If only she could remember where she had met him before!

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**Guest: Thank you.**

**AniRay: Thank you, I hope you enjoy it!**

**CLTex: Great to hear from you again! It's been a few years since my Sherlock series.**


	3. 3: King of the mountain

Chapter three: King of the mountain

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_The following afternoon,_

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Kate draws her plaid, red and gray, woolen coat around her as she steps towards the brick Shelby mansion. It had previously been names Arley Hall, after the Arley family that had lived there for generations. Mr. Shelby was clearly not a man of convention. He changed the name of the estate to reflect on his family now.

She steps towards the blackish-green door, raising her hand to knock on it when the door flies open and an angry young man bursts out of the front door! Kate jumps to side as he hurried down the stairs with an angry Thomas Shelby on his heels!

Kate holds onto her red hat as she watched Thomas curse furiously at the young man. "Get the hell off my property, Michael!"

"Bugger off!" Michael shouts at him.

She stares at Thomas as he continues to throw expletives at the young man. He lets out a sharp exhale, prompting her to state. "A little early," he whirls around to face her. The look on his face confirmed that he hadn't even noticed her on the steps. "for a family domestic argument, isn't it, Mr. Shelby?"

"What the Hell are you doing here?" he demands as he steps towards her.

"It's noon." She states as holds up her wrist, showing her watch. "See?"

He grabs her wrist and looks at her watch. "You forgot to wind it." he says with a dark expression. "You're an hour early."

She groans. "Damn it," he blinks in surprise at her slip of the tongue. "sorry." She perches on the railing, holding up her notebook. "I'll just sit out here and write. You go about your business."

"Just get inside." He mutters as he steps inside, standing behind the door. "Don't see this taking more than five minutes."

She smiles uneasily as she steps inside the hall. As he closes the door behind her, she takes a few steps in, admiring the wood paneling, which had been fortunately left intact. People were starting to remove wood paneling, hoping for a lighter look, but she felt the lightness took away a feeling of intimacy for people.

She exhaled and removed her coat, jumping when her hands collided with strong, calloused male fingers. She glances to the side, noting its Thomas helping her out of her coat. "Thank you." she acknowledges as she removes her scarf and hat.

He sets the coat on the nearby coat rack, only to frown as she puts her scarf and hat on there. "You're not wearing gloves? It's cold out there."

She nods and rubs her hands. "Yes, I forgot them. Didn't realize it until I was halfway here and I didn't want to be late. Turns out I could have been."

"Indeed." He tugs on his vest and heads down the entry, to either the parlor or the library. She followed him, the heels of her patent leather shoes clacking on the floor. He pushes the door open and steps aside, allowing her to enter first. She dips her head in acknowledgement as she steps over the threshold.

Upon entering, she pauses in amazement. "Wow. This is….an impressive collection, Mr. Shelby." The bookcases in the library went from the floor to the ceiling and they were filled with books. She instantly went to investigate a few shelves. She smiles in pleasure at the multiple familiar titles. "The Great Gatsby." She touches the cover fondly before pulling it off the shelf to perch on the corner of his desk. "Please tell me you've read this one."

"No. it's merely decoration."

"You remind me of Jay Gatsby, granted a somewhat harsher version of him. But he's an admirable character," she assures him. "exceptionally loyal man."

"I'll keep that in mind." He takes the book from her and puts it back in the bookshelf. He turns back to her and sits down behind his desk. He turns his chair towards her, folding his hands together. "Now, how much has Lizzie been charging you to rent my place?"

"We agreed that 90 pounds per month was agreeable." He frowns at her. "What? Not enough?"

"You're renting a falling down cottage." He states tightly. "It's akin to highway robbery."

"Rent in London's worse, especially with the Wall Street Crash. I find it reasonable, besides, the cottage is charming. It's got lots of privacy and solitude, which is all I require."

"If the wolves don't break in and attack you." he stands up. "I'd feel better if you'd allow me to do some renovations to the place first."

"Mr. Shelby," she crosses one leg over the other. "I assure you, the cottage is stable. And if any wolves happen to break in past the locked door…I'll shoot them." his brow arches in surprise. "I lived in America; I've seen a thing or two. I spent a few months with an American Indian tribe, slept in a teepee and lived like them. In that environment with bears, mountain lions and snakes, one has to learn to protect oneself."

He walks to his desk and reaches for a cigarette. "I will still inspect the cottage first. If I think 90 is too high, I will drop it to 80." There's a tap at the door, causing him to glower as he checks his pockets for his matches. She sees them and grabs a match from the box. "Enter." She strikes it and holds the lit match for him. He's slightly surprised, but leans forward to light his cigarette.

"Tommy," both of their heads whip towards the doorway. Kate shakes out the match as she hops off the desk as Lizzie enters the room. Lizzie appears to be in a testy mood this morning. "what is she doing here?'

"Liz," he states firmly. "this is none of your affair. What do you want?"

"I want to know what she's doing here!"

"Mrs. Shelby," she explains. "Mr. Shelby and I are discussing the terms of my rent."

Lizzie's eyes flash in irritation. "Are you kidding me Tommy? I thought we had straightened this out."

"Liz," he exhales, blowing smoke from his taut lips. "if you don't say what you came in here for, get out."

"I'm not leaving this room." Lizzie bit out, causing Thomas to darkly stare her down. "I told you…I wanted her left alone."

Kate cleared her throat, hoping to clear the tension in the air. "Mrs. Shelby, your husband mentioned you were a fan of my works." Both of them turned towards her. "If not an imposition, might you gather a few of your favorite books for me? I'd be more than happy to sign them for you. we're almost done here and his terms are very agreeable to me."

That worked. Lizzie smiled at her. "Thank you. that is most kind of you."

"It would be my pleasure. I shall be out in a moment."

Lizzie nods and turns to Thomas. "Escort her to the parlor once you're done.

He nods, but says nothing to Lizzie. Kate watches as Lizzie turns and silently exits the room. there's sadness to Lizzie's countenance that she didn't notice the first time she'd met her. The moment the door shut, Thomas stated. "Lizzie may think it's kind of you, but I think it's clever of you." she blinks innocently at him. "You don't fool me for a moment Kate Carter."

"Good. I figured there was no need for the two of you to be arguing over something so trivial on my account. Besides, your wife seems to be a little lonely." He glowers at her. "That's simply my observation, I could be wrong. This little gesture towards her on my part, should lighten up her day."

"She's a politician's wife. she shouldn't expect more than what I give."

"Some women are like." She mused. "They know what they get, but they can't help but want what they can't have."

He chuckles dryly as he takes another puff of his cigarette. "Lizzie's got everything she needs." She bobs her head silently, biting her tongue against a retort. "Say it."

She frowns. "Say what?"

"You may be silent in this moment, but your eyes aren't." He leans forward in his chair. "Say what's on your mind."

"She's got everything she needs, except you." he rolls his eyes. "She loves you."

"That's on her." He blows the smoke from his cigarette in her direction. "We had an agreement when we married. She knew it wasn't for love. "

"That's a pity. I do like Lizzie and she deserves love."

"I've got nothing to give her." He laughs bitterly. "Trust me, that woman had enough love from any man who'd look at her in her day. I'm nothing special to her."

She shoots him a look. "A little too much information Mr. Shelby and a little harsh to state such a thing about your wife."

"It's harsh times we live in. Lizzie and I just use each other." He puts out his cigarette and stands. "I'll take you to Liz and I'll stop in tomorrow with a few men."

She nods and follows him out of the library and into the parlor, which was only a room or two away from the library. She turns towards him, extending a hand. "Thank you very much Mr. Shelby. Pleasure doing business with you."

"Ain't finished yet." He states as he shakes her hand.

The moment he does, a strange feeling of déjà vu flows over her at his touch. it was a feeling that confirmed they had met before somewhere before. God, why couldn't she remember him? Thomas seems to notice it, for he hesitates and his gaze drops to her hand for a moment, studying it quickly before releasing her hand. he then turns and briskly walks away, flexing his hand, as if her touch had seriously affected him.

"Are you going to enter?" Lizzie's voice causes her to inhale, she had no idea she was holding her breath. She turns to face Lizzie, her once friendly eyes, now held a cold suspicion.

Kate nods. "Yes, I apologize. I had a moment of déjà vu, like…someone just walked over my grave."

Lizzie frowns. "I don't understand."

She steps towards her. "I apologize. I had a thought for a novel and just…zoned out. I got lost in thought."

Lizzie nods, suspicion leaving her eyes. "I see. I hope Thomas didn't raise the rent on you." she shakes her head. "You can be honest; he loves to make a profit."

She chuckles. "He actually is contemplating lowering the cost to 80 pounds per month."

Lizzie turns to the teapot, raising it to the teacup. "You must have impressed him. my husband doesn't give up profit for just anyone. Lemon?"

"Yes please. No sugar or cream, please." She holds her hand out for the teacup. "I think he did it for you."

She snorts. "Thomas doesn't do anything for anyone…except himself." Lizzie holds her gaze. "You be careful with him."

"I thank you for your concerns, but I'm a writer. It is highly unlikely we will be seeing each other much in the future."

"We shall see." Lizzie states as she lifts her cup to her lips. her tone holds a suggestion of a warning. As if there's a dark cloud coming towards them, one that only Lizzie can see. Kate can't help but wonder now if she'd done right in choosing to rent a cottage from the Shelby family.


	4. 4: Them heavy people

Chapter four: Them heavy people

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_That night,_

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"I don't want her here Thomas." Lizzie's tone told him that there would be no arguing. "I want her off this property."

But he was going to argue with her anyway. No matter what she said, he was the boss and one of these days, she'd learn that. "You moved her into the cottage in the first place." He stated as he kicked off his shoes. "She won't do no harm."

"We had an agreement." She stated as she closed her book with a snap. "No other women under this house."

Thomas let out a curse. "She's not my type Lizzie."

"Don't play me for a fool Thomas Shelby." Lizzie snaps at him. "I saw the exchange between to two of you. how long have you known each other?"

"Twenty minutes." He began undressing, dropping his clothes on the chair without even glancing at her. she'd been in one of her moods this morning and damned if he knew why. "Never met her before yesterday."

For some reason, he felt as if he was lying. There was something about this woman, this Kate, which he couldn't place. Her eyes and her touch were familiar to him; he just wasn't sure how it was possible.

"You're a crap liar Thomas Shelby." Liz bit out. "She did a better job of lying to me this afternoon. But I saw the way you two looked at each other in the library."

"Think what you want Liz, I'm tired and I won't hear no more of this nonsense." He went to his side of the bed and got under the covers. "Kate's moving in to the cottage tomorrow."

"Thomas, you promised that there'd be-

"I know Liz and I haven't broken it. Kate's just renting the cottage. That's all."

Liz is silent for a moment. "If that's all…why are you calling her by such a familiar name?" he frowns slightly. "Kate? Not Katherine, or miss carter, but Kate."

He had no logical answer for that. It just felt natural on his tongue. "Just let it go. You'll make yourself ill thinking up such crazy things." He blows out the oil lamp on his nightstand. "Goodnight."

He turned on his side, with his back to her. Lizzie was silent for a moment before placing a soft hand on his shoulder. "Do you want to-

"No." he cuts her off and closes his eyes.

She's silent a moment before stating quietly. "It's our anniversary."

He feels a twinge of guilt but he brushes it off. "Not in the mood Liz. 'night." He did add for good measure. "I'm not having an affair with her Liz. She's just business." She said nothing. For once, Liz remained silent that entire night. She kept her back to him and her whole countenance was cold.

He'd rather they were arguing.

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_The following morning,_

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"You painted my bloody shutters green?"

Kate turns towards Thomas Shelby, a smile on her face. "Yes. It's a lovely shade of emerald green. The inside could do with a coat of paint though." She scratches her cheek and steps towards him. "Good morning."

"Morning. You've got green on your face."

"Oh." She reaches for a wet rag, with smudges of paint on it, that she'd left on the porch rail. She scrubs at the area, removing the paint from her face. Somehow, she always managed to be in a state of disorder while he always looked perfect in his suit, tie and vest. "Thank you. am I decent?"

"No." His blunt response causes her to laugh. He pulls out his pocket-handkerchief and wipes at the stubborn green paint. She keeps a passive face as he carefully removes the green. Once pleased with his handiwork, he tucks his handkerchief back into his pocket. "Good as new."

"Thank you." She turns and gestures towards the cottage. "Shall we?" He nods and steps towards the cottage. "So, do you approve of the green or not?" Thomas stumbles and she adds. "Watch that step, it's a deceiver."

"This place really isn't fit for a famous lady writer to live." He states as he looks around.

"Please, I do my best work in places such as these. It's a lovely cottage." She steps into the cottage and watches him survey the place. His blue eyes taking in every detail of the place, top to bottom. "It just needs a few minor repairs and a few touches, like curtains."

"I can tell you already started working in here."

She nods. "I just repaired the chair and table. A lot of the furniture in here is need of some loving attention."

"They're old."

"But fixable." She points out with a smile.

"So I can see." He peers at her typewriter and all her notes for her next novel that are scattered on the table. "The haunted cottage?"

She crosses her arms. "A work in progress Mr. Shelby. It probably won't even have that title by the time I'm done with it."

He shrugs before glancing around the cottage, examining the walls. "Need a coat of white wash in here." She nods in agreement. "Floor is solid." He steps towards the kitchen and checks the stove. "You'll need a new stove. What about an ice box?"

"I've been using the well." she points towards the back. "I don't have much fresh produce and it seemed more economical to use the well." at his frown she adds. "It's an American thing." He opened a cabinet and looked inside. "I already repaired the hinges on the cabinets. They need a coat of paint as well." she glanced at him before stating. "Green paint, I think."

"Were you a handywoman before you were a writer perchance?" He looks upwards at the ceiling. "The roof is in need of repair. I'll have a man out first thing."

"Thank you and yes, I did have to learn some handiwork in my lifetime." he stepped into the water closet and looked around. "The sink runs rusty water."

"I'll have a plumber stop by."

"Thank you."

He glanced around. "I can tell you've been working hard in here."

"It's very therapeutic for me. How is Lizzie this morning?" she inquired. "Is she feeling better?"

Thomas snorted. "The woman is as demented as ever."

She frowns. "Whatever gave you that impression?"

"Since she accused us of having an affair last night." He stated as he cracked open a window. "A bit stiff."

Kate choked in surprise. "What? You're joking!" She could barely believe he was actually admitting such a thing to her face!

"I assure you, I am not." He turned toward her, his hands in his pockets.

"Well, you're a married man." she felt the blood drain out of her face. This pass of events stunned her. She had genuinely liked Lizzie from the moment she met her. They'd conversed for almost 2 hours! True, yesterday, she'd been semi-cold, but she'd attributed it to the argument between husband and wife. "I have no need of someone else's husband."

"I basically told her so, but the woman can't let an idea loose once it's gotten a hold of her." he holds her gaze. "She wants you off my property."

Kate bites her lip and nods understandingly. "Ok, I'll be off."

"No, you're staying." She frowns at him. "Not to tick off my wife, we had an agreement and there's nothing going on between us."

"This is…a shock to me." She exhales and sits on the corner of the kitchen table. "Whatever gave her such a thought? We only met yesterday!"

"Damned if I know." he steps towards her, pulling a cigarette and matches out of his pocket. He lights it, takes a long drag on his cigarette before exhaling. "However," he hesitates for a moment. "there is something."

Her heart pauses in her chest and she crosses her arms. "What?"

"Nothing just a feeling." She bites her lip, not wanting to hear what's going to come out of his mouth. "And…it's nothing personal, more like a suspicion."

"Like we've met before?" she inquires, glancing towards him.

He nods. "Yes! You've got it too?" she nods as he exhales in relief. "I'm not sure why either!"

She laughs lightly. "I know, it's a weird feeling." She tilts her head to the side. "Maybe we knew each other in a past life."

"No idea." He smirks. "I never forget a face. But as soon as I remember where we met, I'll let you know."

"The same." She bits her lip before asking. "And you're sure you've no idea what might have set her off?"

"As near as I can tell… she took offense to us shaking hands."

She blinks. "That's all? Should I talk with her?" he shakes his head. "I'd really feel better having a word with her."

"It's not needed. She won't believe me."

"You're her husband, what woman would what her husband says?" she points out. "Remember, us females are suspicious by nature and would chalk it up to another tale."

"Because I promised her that there wouldn't be any dallying with women on the estate." he states. "She should take me at her word."

"She should." She nods and exhales. "But…to put her mind at ease, you should tell her that…there's a man who's a part of my life. I've no need for someone else's husband."

"Who's the lucky man?"

She smiled sadly. "Emmet. Emmet Weber."

He nods. "I'll let her know, it should reassure her."

"Thank you." he takes another puff of his cigarette before standing up. "I've got to go. I won't charge you rent until January of next year. There are repairs to be done and you'll save me a bit with the labor you've been putting into the place."

"Thank you Mr. Shelby." He turns and walks to the front door. She follows him out onto the porch. "Will you please tell Lizzie, I'll be by tomorrow evening to talk with her?" he exhales and nods. "I know you think it won't do any good, but, I do like her."

"Your mistake, but I'll tell her."

* * *

Thomas walked into his library just as a book flew at his head! Thomas ducked, but it caught him at the corner of his cheek. "You bastard!" he looked up as Lizzie threw another book at his head. "You can burn in hell Thomas Shelby!"

"What the hell got into you woman?" he demanded as he advanced towards her, avoiding the storm of books that came at him.

"I saw you!" she shrieked. "I saw the two of you! You promised me!"

Thomas ducked and lunged at her, catching Lizzie around the waist and taking her to the ground. "What is it you _think _you saw?"

"I saw you and her on the porch!" Thomas blinked dumbly. "I can imagine what you did after you led her into the cottage!"

"Oh for God's sake," he yelled. "nothin' happened!" Liz cursed at him. "I inspected the cottage and left."

"You're a liar! I saw the way you two looked at each other."

"Liz-

"You must think I'm blind and a fool!"

"There is nothing going on Liz, she's got a man already!"

"Liar! Katherine carter has been single since she lost the man she loved in the war!" Thomas blinked in surprise and Lizzie spat up at him. "You can't fool me!"

"You are a fool! His name is Emmet Weber!" he exhaled. "I promised you Liz about there not being any others, why don't you believe me this time?"

"Because I can see it." she hisses. "I can see the two of you. I can see what's going on."

Thomas exhaled and got off her. "You will make things worse if you don't let this go." Lizzie pulls herself up from the ground. "Against her common sense, she actually likes you. Damned if I know why, but she wants to be your friend."

"I don't need friends!" Lizzie brushes off her clothes. "I've had enough of this."

"She's coming by tomorrow afternoon to talk to you."

Lizzie wrenches open the library door. "I won't be here."

"The hell you will!" Lizzie slams the door and he lets out another curse as he shoves his hair back from his face. What was the matter with that woman?

He exhaled and sat at his desk, sorting his papers that Lizzie had obviously been looking through. After sorting them, he resumed making his round of phone calls and handling business. After getting his business in order, he called a few of his men to take care of the upgrades to the cottage.

A glance at the clock told him that it was drawing close to lunchtime and he'd been in there for a few hours. He leaned back in his chair, pondering what it was that had upset Lizzie so much. She said she saw something, but what exactly did she see? He'd helped Kate wipe paint off her cheek, that was it. There was nothing between the two of them. Normally Lizzie was reasonable, but not today. Something was internally upsetting her and he wished to God he knew what it was!

At that moment, the door flew open and a maid ran in. "Mr. Shelby!" She screamed. "It's Mrs. Shelby! She's upstairs! I think she's dying!" he jumped up and headed for the library door. "The doctor's coming!"

Thomas ran up the stairs cursing the day he ever married that woman. He followed the sounds of the people towards the sunroom. He pushed past people and found Lizzie on her side, vomiting and shaking. He felt the world get sucked out from under him as he knelt by her twisting body. His children were in the other room, crying and calling out for their mother. However, he knew the look in her eyes all too well.

Liz was dying. And she would be dead before the doctor arrived.

So why the Hell was she smiling at him?

* * *

**Idcam: They'll figure it out soon. I've got 30,000 words and various chapters semi done. Kate figures it out first in chapter 7 first and then they discuss it a chapter or 2 later. I'm glad you're enjoying it. Hopefully this turn of events wasn't too shocking.**


	5. 5: Get out of my house

Chapter five: Get out of my house

* * *

_10 days later, _

* * *

"Kate?"

She let out a gasp and spun around at the sound of Thomas's voice. "Mr. Shelby." She set down the paintbrush and climbed down the ladder. "I didn't hear you."

He nodded as he looked around. He was dressed in a black suit and had a black band around his arm. "You've done wonders with the place. Almost looks new."

"Thank you."

"Your taste in colors, leave a bit to be desired." He stated as he picked up the deep lavender paintbrush she'd been brushing on the door.

"It'll look lovely once it's done, I promise. I enjoy working on the cottage, it's very therapeutic." she bit her lip before stating. "My condolences about Lizzie," he turns to her, his blue eyes revealing that he's tired and stressed out. "You and your children must be devastated." He shrugged. His devil-may-care attitude didn't fool her for a second. She saw the regret in his eyes and stance, but she didn't push it. "When's the funeral?"

"Just came from there."

She bit her lip. "Not to appear rude, but…why are you here?" he ignored her and began painting a spot she missed on the front door. the man was tall, so he didn't need a ladder. "Not that I don't mind your company," she hastened to add. "it's just; I feel you should be with your family."

"I needed to get away for a moment." he continued painting. "My family is smothering me."

She could sense the warning in his voice, but she decided to ignore it. something was gnawing at the man and he needed to talk to someone. "Everyone must be missing her, especially you."

"I don't!" he dropped the brush and spun around towards her. it was then, Kate saw the issue. He was torn with multiple feelings towards his departed wife. "I'm not what the hell caused her to do such a stupid thing, but I'll never know." he exhaled. "Why did she do it?"

She frowned. "I'm sorry, I don't know the details surrounding Lizzie's death, and so I can't-

"She committed suicide by taking poison." Kate's mouth jaw dropped in surprise. "Cyanide."

Kate blinked. "Why? She had those two lovely children." She was stunned. She hoped and prayed Lizzie's suicide had nothing to do with her. she'd never forgive herself, though frankly, she could swear she'd done nothing. She'd liked Lizzie and had been social with Thomas, but, there was no impropriety towards him, even in her thoughts!

"Damned if I know." He exhaled and rubbed his eyes as he sat down on the front porch steps. "Things hadn't been the same for us for a while. They'd been getting worse. That lying-

"Don't say anything that'll give you cause to reproach yourself in the future." He opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off. "You're angry with her, it's understandable." She sat down beside him. "You're angry about the fight, whatever it was that had been tormenting you two prior to me showing up. you're upset about the state of your marriage and I know you have regrets about many things, but don't add more anger to the mess." She placed a hand on his arm, giving it a gentle, assuring squeeze. "You've got two children you'll have to raise now and they'll be upset because they don't have a mother." She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Today's her funeral. Mourn today, be angry tomorrow, but forgive in the days to come."

He's silent for a moment before stating. "You writers are a nosy lot." She smiled a faint wobbly smile. "How the hell did you see all that?"

"I just did. Your eyes," she almost lost herself in the steeled blueness of them. "say more than you do."

He studied her for a moment before stating. "It weren't your fault." She blinked. He _did _see that she felt guilt for Lizzie's death. "Things had been bad between us for a while; she'd already contacted a solicitor for a divorce. Anything little thing could have set her off."

"Allow me to feel some guilt."

He shrugs. "We both do, but…time will prove it wasn't our fault. Lizzie chose to drink that stuff."

She stands and walks to the mantelpiece, to pick up her wrapped packages. "I bought these for the children." He looks surprised. "They're picture frames. I thought maybe they'd like a picture of her, possibly by their dresser?"

"That's…kind of you." he stands up. "Come on. I'll walk you to the house and you can give it to them."

She bit her lip. "I don't think I should."

"Why?"

"People will talk."

"And what's there to talk about?" he states. "You're a writer who rents my cottage. Nothing else to talk about. Besides, you bought the gifts for them; you should give it to them."

She bites her lip again before nodding. "I'll be ready in a minute."

* * *

Kate could feel the eyes on her. Everyone was trying to figure out who she was. She kept her head held high, though she really wished the floor would swallow her whole. The eyes of people on her were cold and unfriendly.

"You're fine, Kate." Thomas said out of the corner of his mouth.

She hisses. "I feel like a whore in church." He chokes and turns to stare at her in surprise. "Sorry. Inappropriate for such a setting."

"Tommy," they both turned towards the sound of the authorative female voice. At the sight of the woman, Kate automatically straightened her posture. She could tell that this woman was the head of the household and she scanned Kate with a disapproving eye. "who is this?"

Thomas exhaled. "Kate, this is my aunt Polly. Pol, this Kate, she's renting the cottage."

Kate extended her hand. "I'm Katherine carter."

Polly didn't take her hand right away. "The writer?" she glances at Thomas for confirmation.

"Yes." He says with a nod. "Lizzie actually lent her the cottage."

"I see." Polly finally takes her hand and shakes it. "Do you go by Katherine or Kate?"

"Katherine. I don't really care for the name Kate."

She glances at Thomas. "He calls you Kate." She frowns, not sure when he started calling her Kate. "Do you two know each other?"

"No, Polly." Thomas answers for her. "We met through Lizzie."

Kate cleared her throat and holds up her packages. "I brought a memento for the children. They must miss her."

Polly nods in affirmation. "Yes. Kind of you to think of them."

"Where are they?"

"In the library."

"Excuse us." He takes a hold of her elbow and guides her to the library. "Relax Kate."

"Why are you calling me Kate?" she inquires. "It really isn't proper."

"It suits you."

"That may very well be," she hisses. "but it's adding more speculation to what people are thinking."

"I'll refer to you as Miss Carter in public from now on, if that's what you prefer." She nods. "But Katherine, doesn't suit you any better than carter."

Well, she hadn't cared for her surname, that's why she legally had it changed years ago.

"How old are your children?" she asks. "Lizzie mentioned you had two children, but, didn't mention their ages."

"Ruby will be five soon and Charlie is seven." She nods. "Charlie is mine from another marriage. Ruby is Lizzie's and mine."

"Poor Charlie." He frowns. "Having to lose a parent twice, it must be hard on him. I can't imagine losing a spouse, twice either."

He said nothing as he pushed the library door open. Charlie was playing with his trains; Ruby was sitting on the couch, silently crying.

"Charlie. Ruby." Both their heads jerked up. "You two have a visitor." Kate stepped around behind him. "This is Kate."

"Hello." She stepped towards them.

"You're the whore mommy spoke of." Ruby declared, tears streaking down her cheeks. Kate was stunned and shocked that ruby knew such words. "Get out of our house!"

"Ruby!" Thomas snapped at her. "Leave the room!"

"Wait a minute." She said, placing a hand on his arm. "She's just upset."

Thomas was seething. "Even in death, that woman can still-

"What makes you think that Ruby?" she asked gently.

"Mommy said there'd be a whore named Kate here when she died." She wailed. "You killed my mommy!"

"Ruby," Thomas snarled. "I swear to God-

"It's alright Thomas." She assured him. "I'm sure you're mistaken Ruby. My name's Katherine, not Kate."

The blood drained out of Ruby's face. "Daddy calls you Kate." She stammered, her face growing more and more pale as she realized that her punishment was going to be terrible.

"It's a nickname. I barely know your father, but I did like your mother. She was very kind." She handed ruby the small package. "I bought this for you. it's a picture frame. Maybe your daddy has a picture of your mother that you can put in it." Now, Ruby's expression tattled that she finally felt guilty about the whole scene she just caused. "That way, she's the first thing you see when you wake up."

Ruby said nothing. She just started crying and ran out of the room. It was apparent to them both that Lizzie had said some horrible things about her in front of the children.

Thomas exhaled. "I am sorry about that."

"It's alright." She straightened up and turned to him. "She's missing her mother. And I know that she's hurting."

"She has no right to speak to a guest that way in my house."

"What did you bring me?" Charlie asks, his voice bringing them out of their musings.

She heads towards him. "I got you the same thing as I got ruby." He takes the package from her. "You both must be missing your mother."

"She weren't my mother." Charlie mused.

"I'm sure she loved you." she affirmed.

"She loved ruby more."

"Lizzie loved you, Charlie." Tommy stated as he stepped towards his son. "Thank Miss Carter and then go check on your sister."

"Thank you Miss Carter."

"You're welcome Charles." Charles walked out of the room and she turned towards him. "Don't punish ruby on my account, please. She's going through enough." She cleared her throat. "I'm assuming that given the time span and the implication of ruby's outburst that you didn't get a chance to talk to Lizzie?"

"I told the stupid woman everything you informed me. she refused to believe me." she shot him a disapproving look, but he held her gaze. "She said that your Emmet was dead." Kate's heart paused in her chest. "Was that true?"

She inhaled before nodding. "He was murdered." He blinked. "He may be gone but… I haven't let go of him. he's still a part of my life, if you can understand that."

He's silent for a moment before nodding in agreement. "I can."

She bites her lip before asking him quietly. "Charlie's mother?"

He doesn't answer, but in that moment, she understands everything. He'd married Lizzie, probably to give the children a mother. But he, like her, was still deeply in love with a ghost of their past. No matter who they met later on in life, they would always be in love with someone they could never have. No wonder they both had this bizarre connection to each other.

She exhaled deeply. "This is an…unusual family Mr. Shelby. Everyone is so controlled, as if it… letting their emotions out would be hazardous for them. and then when the emotions do come out….it's like an ugly wound just bursts."

"Normally, we Shelby's are a quiet bunch…there's just…something about you that makes people talk."

"You as well. you've gotten more from me this month than my own father has in a year." He just stares blankly at her. She clears her throat and smoothes her skirt. "I need to go." He shakes his head. "I'm not family and even though you and I are acquaintances…it's clear I shouldn't be here."

"I don't care what my family has to say. But as I know your reputation is important, I do wish to add you're always welcome in my house Kate."

She smiled. "Thank you very much Mr. Shelby."

Kate turned and walked from the library. As she went down the hall to the entrance of the estate, she could feel eyes on gaze deep and disapproving. This whole family had an aura of darkness over them and she hoped they'd pass through the darkness quickly.

* * *

**Guest: You're welcome and because she was in the way of the story.**

**Idcam: I am known for having turns pop up out of nowhere. Her paranoia got the better of her this time thought.**

**Angelo029: Happy to oblige! **


	6. 6:Lily

Chapter six: Lily

* * *

_Lily gripped the chair tightly, holding her breath as the footsteps approached. They grew closer and closer until they were right outside the door._

"_Please go by." She prayed fervently. "Please, go by."_

_However, they did not. The door creaked open slowly and Lily brought the chair above her head, ready to smash it over the head of whomever walked in the door._

"Kate?"

"AHHH!" Kate screamed and whirled around as Thomas Shelby burst into the cottage, gun drawn. His eyes darted around the room, while she gasped for air. "Mr. Shelby! You frightened me! Put that gun away."

He looked at her as if she were insane. "You screamed, so forgive me for thinking you were in danger."

"Yes, you're forgiven." She waved him over to the typewriter. He holstered his gun and peered over her shoulder at her work. "I'm writing my first murder mystery, so I was millions of miles away when you called out."

He leans over her without saying a word, for once, the man smells of something other than cigarettes. Earth, pine and horse, which to her nose was a lovely combination. He silently reads the page before asking. "So, who's trying to kill her?"

"No spoilers for you Thomas Shelby." She stands up. "Otherwise, you'll know everything going on in my next book."

"If I chose to read it." he glances at the title page. "I see you changed the name to 'the Lavender Cottage'."

She nods. "Yes, indeed. I'm assuming you're here for the rent."

"That and to make sure that everything's alright. It's been 2 months since I saw you. You've been a reasonable tenant, paying promptly on the first."

She chuckles. "I assure you, I am. You're a reasonable landlord, coming down here to collect the rent and sparing me the walk."

"I was out for a ride. My horse needed the exercise."

"Ahh, now I know I was really far away." She handed him the envelope of money. "I didn't even hear you ride up."

The envelope is heavy, so he opens it to confirm she gave him the right amount. He frowns at the amount of money. "This is at least 3 months' rent."

"I know." she perches on the corner of her table. "Your timely appearance also spared me from writing you an explanation letter. I'm going to America tomorrow." His brow rises curiously. "My grandfather is ill and I hope I can make it in time to see him."

"Well, we shall have to have dinner when you return." He stated. "I was going to invite you for tomorrow night, but, you'll be gone."

"That's kind of you," she stammered. "but, unnecessary."

"The kids bought you something while they were in town today," she stared at him in surprise. "and they wanted to give it to you."

"Oh. I'm sorry that I didn't think of buying them Christmas presents."

"That's not necessary."

"Why'd they even buy me a present?" She questioned. "I only saw them once."

"You brought them a present."

"It was appropriate. I know from experience, having lost my own mother 12 years ago, that most people often forget that the children, in addition to the husband, also lose someone that they love and cherish." She inhaled and quickly changed the subject. How did he always manage to get her to spill her guts about the past? She didn't want to relive it!

"Well, it was Ruby's idea. I think she felt pretty guilty about her behavior towards you."

"I hope you didn't punish her too severely on my account."

"She was reprimanded appropriately."

"Well, I should still get them something. I can't imagine Christmas being that fun for them. I'll pick them up some souvenirs from America." She grinned. "It'll be fun for me and they'll have something that no one else has."

"Kate, they only bought you chocolates," she scowled at him. "nothing to get excited about."

"And you," she swatted his arm. "just told me my present!" he caught her hand. "You could have waited for me to return before telling me."

"They'd have spoiled by then and why," he inquired. "is your finger bandaged?"

"I had a leak in the roof." He cocked a disproving brow. "So, I climbed up and hammered a tile into place."

"I just had them replace the roof, it shouldn't be leaking."

"I'm sure it was an accident, one spot was missed. The rest of the roof works fine." she pulled her hand free. "It doesn't take much to hammer a tile down."

"Well, you as a woman shouldn't be atop of a roof hammering at all."

"I'll have you know Mr. Shelby, I am no china doll. I was a nurse in the war," he straightened. "so as you can imagine, I've seen, done and endured things that one would hardly expect a lady to have seen."

"You were a nurse in the war?" she nodded as he sat down beside her. "Where were you stationed?"

"I was assigned to Edmonton Military hospital for several years. Then, I felt as if I could do more if I was actually near the men as they were being wounded. So, I signed up to become a nurse for field hospitals." She was silent for a moment. "I was transferred to the Verdun Military Hospital, which was the most….horrific experience. 303 days of fighting and so many men," she closed her eyes and exhaled. "I'll never forget it. God's seen fit to calm my soul, but never forget."

"I was there." Kate jumped and turned towards him. "Wasn't wounded, but, I fought at Verdun."

"Mr. Shelby," she stated. "maybe that's where we met by chance. But, for the life of me, I can't remember meeting you. I barely got 5 hours sleep each day."

He nods. "It was bloody. And, it's possible that's where we may have met, but again, I can't remember any occasion to talk to a nurse."

"If we're going to compare war stories to try to solve this mystery," she pats his leg as she stands up. "I better make us a cup of tea."

* * *

"And of course, once Matron," Kate took another sip of tea as Tommy took another puff of his cigarette. Kate's tales of her experience as a nurse had been rather entertaining. "found out that I was engaged to a German, she had me sent to Paris. Luckily, the battle was over and most of the men were on the road to recovery. But once the head nurse there read the letter from Matron, I was sent back to England and I was dismissed. I tried to help out more, but…as you can imagine I was quite ostracized."

"You…are a fascinating woman, Kate Carter." He honestly meant that. there was something about this woman that interested him. it'd had been a long time since a woman had interested him this much.

"And you, where did you fight?" she inquired as she stirred her tea again, before taking a sip.

"Well, you already know I was at Verdun." He takes another drag on his cigarette. "I was at the battle of Somme and Mons." He paused a moment. "For Mons, I received the Military Medal, the Distinguished Conduct Medal and several other medals of honor."

"Which, I'm going to assume you threw away?" she inquired.

He frowned slightly. "What makes you suspect that?"

"Because why be reminded of something that you don't care to remember. Or," she leans forward. "you just leave them in a drawer, to pull out if needed, but they're not something you're real proud of."

Sometimes, this woman could just see right through him. Her perception was unlike anything he'd witnessed. She, however, didn't have as good a poker face. Her face did a good attempt, but her eyes always reacted to whatever was said. "And did you keep any of your mementos from the war?"

"A few." She stands up and heads into the other room. Thomas smiles, appreciating the quiet way she moved across the creaky floor. She moved lightly, as if a fairy were making sure her feet never touched the floor. She came back with a rectangular tin. "They didn't let me keep my uniform, but I stole my armband." She handed him the tin and he hesitated in opening. "Go ahead, it's not that personal." He opened it up to see that there really wasn't much inside. A photograph of her and her fellow nurses, a long lock of red hair, which he picked up curiously. "A friend of mine, Anne McGrath, died of Influenza. I cut a lock of her hair before they burned her body. After my dismissal, I looked for her parents, to find out that they'd died. I kept it; I didn't have the heart to just destroy it."

He nods understandingly, remembering the bond he'd forged with his own men, especially Danny. He removed the bundle of letters, with a fraying green ribbon around them, setting them carefully off to the side. A quick glance, showed they'd been written to her by her fiancée, Emmet. Underneath the letters, was a picture of a young man, in a suit, with crutches tucked under his arms. He studied the photograph for a moment; the man had kind eyes and seemed harmless. He held up the photography to her. "Your Emmet Webber, I'm assuming?"

Kate blinked once before nodding. "Yes, that was my Emmet." He could see in Kate's eyes that the pain in her heart was still as raw as if she'd lost him yesterday. He knew that feeling as well; he still hadn't gotten over Grace. She haunted him, determined to never let him go, but he didn't want her to release him. he knew that was part of the reason why his marriage with Lizzie failed. He couldn't love his current wife while he loved a ghost. Kate obviously felt the same way about Emmet.

"Tell me about him. how long did you two know each other?"

"Well, I knew him when we were children." She explained. "He'd been born that way, no one expected him to make it to adulthood. He was so sick all the time." Someone knocked at the door, causing her to frown. "I wonder who that is?"

"Were you expecting someone?"

She shakes her head as she stands and head towards the door. "No, this is curious."

"Let me get it Kate." He kept his hand near his gun as he opened the door. there was Polly, standing there with a disapproving look on her face. "What are you doing here?"

"It's late." She stated. "Almost 9:00."

"9:00?" Kate gasped as she jumped up and looked at her clock in horror. "I had a taxi service picking me up outside the gate two hours ago. And I haven't finished packing up to go!"

"Go?" Polly inquired.

"She's going to America." He explained. He wasn't sure why Polly seemed to be cold towards Kate, but he'd seen her levy that look at Grace in the beginning.

She nods; her demeanor tattles she wasn't pleased at finding him here with Kate. "Your horse got free and wandered back home. Everyone's out looking for you."

"Sorry about that. Did you bring the car?"

"Yes."

"Right, Kate," he walks to the table and grabs his hat. "I'm going to drive Polly back and then give you a ride to wherever it is you're going tonight." She shook her head. "It's my fault you missed your ride. It's the least I can do."

"You need to stay home. It's late, I'll use my motorbike."

Tommy laughed. "Not with that luggage you're not." She opened her mouth to protest, but he cut her off. "I'll be back in an hour. Be ready."

"You're a stubborn man, Thomas Shelby!" Kate called as he shut the door.

Thomas turned to Polly. "You alright?"

"She'll break your heart." Tommy didn't even bother to look at her. "She's hiding something."

"Kate's not hiding anything. We were talking about the war and her time at the Verdun field hospital."

Polly's face stilled. "Is that where you two met?"

"It's possible. I can't swear to it though. She's not hiding anything Poll, if I ask her a question; she answers it without dancing around."

"You've a habit of falling for women who lie."

"I haven't fallen for her."

"Then what is it about her?" Polly inquired. "I know that look in your eye Thomas Shelby. Don't think you can fool me!"

Thomas didn't even bother to answer that question, because to be honest, he wasn't sure what it was about her that made him enjoy her company. It was a mystery.

* * *

**Idcam: In the 5th season, I noticed Charlie was closer to his father and Ruby was closer to Lizzie. Ruby's also scared of Tommy, so, losing her mother would be rather hard for her and Kate does have a few more surprises. She, like Tommy, is a very complex character.**

**Guest: I am glad you're enjoying it. I really liked Tommy with May. As for Grace, I liked her in the first season. Lizzie, I never did. In this last season, her character grew really bitter. Polly's more suspicious about Kate popping into his life rather suddenly and as will be revealed in time, she had good reason.  
**


	7. 7: the Painter's Link

Chapter seven: the Painter's Link

* * *

_2 months later, March 17__th__,_

* * *

_Blue skies, _Kate warbled rather loudly and slightly off-key as she trudged up the familiar walk she'd been absent from. Oh, how she missed England! _smiling at me. Nothing but blue skies, do I see!_

The sound of a car rumbling up the drive behind her caused her to step off the path to allow the car to pass by. She smiled and continued warbling the Irving Berlin song, carefully carting her three carpetbags. Fortunately, they weren't too heavy and the cottage wasn't too far away from the road.

The car braked and the engine stopped. "Kate?" she turned to see that it was Thomas driving the car. She smiled fondly at him as he hopped out of the car and hurried towards her. the man cut a dashing and intimidating figure. "What are you doing walking?"

"Top 'o the mornin', to you as well." Kate stated in a bad Irish accent. Judging from the expression on his face, her expression was exceptionally terrible. "My Irish and English accents are terrible."

"Yeah." He reached for her bags. "Come on. I'll give you a lift."

"Oh please don't bother; I'd really love to walk." He ignored her and grabbed her bags. "I've been trapped on a boat for almost a week. I'm tired, I want is to do is rest and have a cup of tea."

"It's teatime now." He stated. "Join me at the house and I'll have someone deliver your bags for you."

"You mentioned tea. Is it already prepared?" he nodded. "Then how can I refuse?"

"You can't." He opened the door and helped her into her seat.

"Thank you." she stilled, when he didn't let go of her hand right away.

"Your hands are cold. Why aren't you wearing glove?"

"Uh, I left them in the taxi." She stated.

"I see." The man didn't really talk much. He released her hand and closed the door. "How was your visit to America?" he inquired as he walked around to the front of the car.

"Well, my grandfather passed away, but it was a peaceful death."

"My condolences." He stated as he slammed the car door and started the engine. "You can put your hands in my pocket, if they're cold."

"Thank you." Kate rubbed her hands before sliding one into his pocket and sitting on the other. She felt like Scarlett O' Hara dipping her hands into Frank Kennedy's pockets. However, unlike Scarlett, she had no ulterior motive.

They rose in silence and Thomas didn't attempt to make any conversation, for that, she was grateful. She enjoyed his presence; the man had a still calmness that was almost refreshing at times. There was also a compelling darkness to him that she found interesting; she suspected that he had mob ties, but he wouldn't get in too deep because he had a family to protect.

As they drove up the walk, Kate couldn't help but smile. She missed this place so much. It had rained recently, she could tell that right off. The air was alive with the smell of wet grass, oak leaves, wet stone and budding wildflowers. It was a scent she'd missed in Arizona and the heat hadn't been appealing to her at all. her complexion had gotten darker within that month she'd spent there.

By the time they came into full view of the estate, Kate was almost grinning to beat the band. Thomas let out a soft chuckle, causing her to glance at him. her glance revealed that he was semi-smiling at her.

"Oh, how I've missed England." She declared. "It's very hot and dry in Arizona."

"Arizona? That's desert land."

She nods. "Yes. I'll tell you all about it during tea."

He braked the car in front of the door and hopped out. Kate reached for the handle, causing him to bark at her. "Don't you dare."

"Or what?" she answered back saucily. His brow rose, suggesting that she wouldn't like it. she giggled. "Sorry, I've been in America. They're very uncivilized there. I had a man hit me in the face with the hotel door once!"

"Well, you're back in England and here," he opened the car door for her and helped her alight. "we help ladies out of the cars."

"Well, your mother raised you well." she felt it. the faint wobble in his hand. she glanced at his face and stated. "Correction. Polly raised you well, didn't she?"

"And what makes you think that?" he inquires casually.

"Well, your tone for one," he continued helping her up the stairs. "and Polly's… protective nature the last time we met." He shook out his head, a small smile on his face. "I'm right, aren't I?"

"You are." He opened the front door for her and led her to pass before him.

"Thank you." she exhaled and removed her black hat with green band on it. at the curious look on his face with the green, since she should be in mourning, she stated. "It's saint Patrick's day; I had to wear something green."

"I didn't say anything." He stated.

"No, but your eyes did." She exhaled as she removed her black coat, to reveal a deep green dress underneath. "One of these days, I shall have to get a tour of this place. It's a spectacular estate."

"Take a look around," he stated as he had his overcoat over to his butler. "be my guest. I've got to take care of something first and then I'll join you."

"Alright. Oh," she turned to the butler. "what's your name?"

He looked rather surprised at her inquiry, but answered. "Cole, ma'am."

"Ok, Mr. Cole, there's a blue and red carpetbag in the car, with a red handle. Could you please bring it in for me?"

"Of course. Where shall I put it?"

She turns to Thomas. "It's my Christmas presents."

He looks surprised. "You bought them gifts anyway?" she nods. "Then, to the parlor."

"Thank you Sir."

"Also fetch the children and their aunt. Inform them we have a guest." He turned to address her. "Continue with your tour Kate. I'll join you shortly."

Kate walked down the long haul, past the few rooms she'd already peered into. The first room she peered into was the magnificent dining hall. However, it was the portrait over the head of the table that caused her to freeze in the doorway and gasp in shock. It was if a bucket of cold water had been thrown in her face.

She now knew where she'd met Thomas Shelby before!

The portrait, over the head of the table was an oil painting of Thomas Shelby with Aspen. She didn't recognize him right away because he had a lighter, happier expression and air about him. now, he seemed a little more tired and darker than he was now. However, of course, the years hadn't been exceptionally kind to him; he'd lost people he cared about in those years. She still felt like a prized idiot for not recognizing him sooner!

She shook her head in bafflement. 10 years, it had been 10 years since they'd met. Moreover, it was no wonder that he hadn't recognized her. The years hadn't been good to her either. She wore her hair back in a severe bun and when he'd seen her, her hair had been down around her face! She shook her head in sheer wonder as she stepped into the room, her eyes watering in sheer amazement of this whole thing.

"Kate?" she spun around at the sound of his voice. His eyes narrowed curiously. "Are you alight?"

"Yes, sorry." She cleared her throat and advanced towards the portrait. "It's a stunning portrait Mr. Shelby. The horse is stunning." Her voice still sounded slightly shaky.

"He was a good horse." She could tell from his tone of voice that he missed aspen. "Had to put him down a few years back. He had a hoof problem that never truly healed, but as long as his stall was clean…it wasn't too bad."

"What kind of problem?" she prodded, hoping to spark a recognition in him.

"No idea." He exhaled and rolled his eyes. "Charlie, he takes care of the horses and he couldn't really figure it out. We had a woman break into his stall one night," Kate bit her lip in amusement. "and she told us about a cure that actually worked. It helped him throughout most of his life."

"Interesting." She tried to keep her tone casual "What happened to the woman?"

He was silent for a moment before shaking his head. "Dunno. She was very upset and I hope that she didn't end her life after that. shame really, she was a nice girl."

"Well, it's lucky for Aspen, she happened to be there."

"Yeah." He paused for a moment before turning to her. "How the hell did you know his name was Aspen?"

She smiled simply smiled at him as she pulled the few pins free from her head and shook her hair free. She held his gaze as he studied her carefully for a moment and then, recognition flashed in his eyes. "Aspens are a white tree that grow in America. The leaves quake as the wind blows, but they always stand strong and upright."

"You Kate?" he questioned as he stepped towards her, placing her hands on her shoulders. "You were her Kate?" she nodded as he shook his head in bewilderment. "What were you doing there?"

"It's a long story and one day, when I have the time, I'll tell you about it."

He shook his head. "I'll be damned." He shook his head. "So, we did know each other. I'm not sure how I'd forget a face like yours."

"Hmm, were you married to your first wife?"

"No. met her a few days before that, actually."

She smiled. "So, why should you remember my face? It would be insignificant in comparison."

"You're kind Kate, but I should be able to remember someone who did a kindness to me, especially saving the life of my horse. I never really thanked you properly." He pulled her into a tight hug, which she returned. "Thank you."

"Thank you too, for being there for me when I needed someone."

"How'd I do that?"

"I'll explain it to you one day."

He pulled away and held her gaze. A faint smile actually on his face. The sounds of running footsteps caused them to separate. "And here come the children."

"Hm," she grabbed her hair and began twisting it around her hand. "I should make myself presentable. Allow me a moment."

"Kate," she paused as she looked up at him, pins in her mouth. "you should wear your hair down like that all the time."

She takes the pins out of her mouth. "It's not really proper."

"No…but it becomes you." he stated in a low voice that almost made her shiver. "Makes you look rather comely."

Kate blinked and stared at him. "Really?" she was surprised. No one, not since Emmett, had ever said she looked attractive.

He nods. "Very."

At that moment, the children enter the dining room. they both appear hesitant to jump into this moment between them. "May we, come in?" Charlie asks hesitantly.

"Yes!" she smiled broadly at them as she tucked the pins into her pocket, allowing her hair to flow free. It rested just below her shoulder blades. "I brought everyone Christmas presents from America!" the children's eyes grew round with curiosity as she turned to Thomas. "Is it alright to give everyone their presents, now?"

"You bought everyone presents?" he inquired.

"Well, everyone I knew. You, Polly and the children. Yours will be here in a few months. It's a special order and it should be here by July."

He frowns. "What in the world needs several months to get here?"

"No spoilers, how about it?"

He smiles. "Can't figure how a body would ever tell you no. Alright, yes, but first," his voice was drowned out by the children and Kate squealing. "have your tea."

"Where's the parlor?" she asked. And with that, Ruby and Charlie dragged her out of the dining hall to the parlor.

* * *

**Idcam: It'll be good, she'll be bringing them a snippet of her past. He'll open up to her, in time, for the moment, he's just fighting it.**


	8. 8: Fullhouse

Chapter eight: Fullhouse

* * *

Thomas smiled as he surveyed Kate on the floor with the children. She had her blue carpetbag on the floor and she'd enthralled the children as she told them about her voyage across the ocean. To adult, it was dull, but she could spin a tale that drew everyone in. the girl had an unusual charm about her, like a fairy.

Polly shifted beside him, causing him to check the smile. Polly was being overprotective in regards to Kate. However, there wasn't really anything going on with them, especially since they now knew where their bond was formed. He still couldn't believe it. Kate had been the wild looking woman who'd saved Aspen all those years ago.

She'd been kind then towards him, he was glad to see that she'd gotten out of her deep depression. She let out a laugh, drawing him in towards her again as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. He was secretly pleased that she'd left her hair down. Kate was a beautiful woman; she'd hidden it well with her dark clothes and hair scraped back atop of her head. today, she'd gotten some exercise, so her cheeks were rosy and the color appealed to her skin, which had darkened during her travels. Moreover, her hair, while a striking reddish brown hue, looked so lovely when it hung down around her heart shaped face. However, with her hair hanging free, it drew attention to her piercing hazel-green eyes.

Loathe to admit it; he'd missed her while she was away. The county seemed a little darker without her there. even popping in to pay the rent, had caused him to smile. She had a very soothing and calming presence about her that he enjoyed.

"Now," she opened her huge bag. "my grandfather is an American Indian." Thomas blinked in surprise. He couldn't imagine anyone actually admitting such a thing in public. Kate, however, seemed to have no squabbles. "I mean, was, he passed away two weeks ago. However, he was able to give me a few souvenirs before he passed."

"Kate," he inquired. "wouldn't you rather hang onto them?" Him addressing her by her first name, earned a glower from Polly, but he ignored it.

She shook her head. "He knew I was bringing them here. He even picked out a few of them." She reaches into the bag and pulls out two unusual, brightly woven objects. "These are called dream catchers." She hands one to each of them. "You hang them over your headboard and they keep the bad dreams away."

"Interesting theory." Polly states.

"It'll do no harm." She reaches into the bag and pulls out a smaller bag, which she hands it to Polly. "I got this for you."

Thomas almost grins in satisfaction at the look of surprise on Polly's face. She opens the bag to reveal a silver armband with bright blue stones. "It's…beautiful." She pulls out a matching necklace as well. "I'm not familiar with this stone."

"It's turquoise." She explains. "In the states, it's mostly found in Arizona, around the copper mines. You're a bold woman and I thought this would suit you." again, Kate's boldness made him smile. It took a bold woman to state such a thing to Polly and not blink in the process. She reaches into the bag and hands him a letter. "Now, I don't know what this is, for I swore not to open it. my grandfather had a friend write it for him and he asks that you open it on this date, next year."

He frowns. "You family is a curious one."

She nods. "I know. believe me, I am dying to know, but I always honor the wishes of the dead."

"Same. I'll put it somewhere safe." He assures her as he tucks the letter inside his coat pocket, being careful not to wrinkle it.

She pulled out several packets of seeds. "Now, Ruby, here are some flowers that grow traditionally in America, but come the spring, they should transplant well." Polly held out her hand to see the packets. "They're easy to grow, I've no green thumb, but I've always managed to grow them."

she leaned forward and whispered something in Ruby's ear that caused her to give Kate a quick hug. Her actions surprised everyone in the room. Ruby had been quiet and subdued, but someone, Kate had managed to pull her out of her shell. After Ruby broke the hug, Kate reached inside her bag and pulled out some beaded headbands, which the children promptly put on. she presented Charlie with a bag of various arrowheads, which delighted the boy.

She then pulled out one last case and handed them to Thomas. "And these, are for you."

He frowned at the case. "I thought you said my present would arrive in three months."

"Yes, it will, but I couldn't give everyone something and you nothing. Besides, when it arrives, you'll most likely share yours with family." When he hesitated opening it, she prompted him. "Don't leave me suspense, just open it. I promise, it won't bite you."

He opened it to reveal a set of six tie clips. They were silver and had intricate details. Two had that turquoise stone set inside. "Well?" she inquired.

"I think," he sat back. "that I should have done more than install a telephone in your cottage."

Kate choked on her tea and wheezed for air. "What?" she hacked around the droplets of tea. "You didn't."

"No. Polly and I figured it couldn't hurt. You're far away from the house and should something happen, you can call us directly."

"No, I'm serious." She set her teacup aside and inhaled. "You really bought me a phone. Do you have any idea how expensive those things are?"

"I also repaired the roof." Kate shook her head. "It's brand new, so, there shouldn't be any leaking."

"Are you insane?" Kate almost shrieked. "You can't go spending that kind of money on me!"

"Really? I'm wagering," Polly said. "that you dropped a few hundred pounds on us."

"No, American money is less than pounds." She explained. "I really didn't spend that much."

"I'll pretend to believe you." Tommy stated. "But yes, these are really nice." Polly peered at the tie clips and nodded her approval. "Very elegant."

"What was your grandfather's name?" Polly inquired. Tommy shot her a look, knowing she was fishing for information. "You didn't mention."

"My grandfather's name was Tahoma." Polly frowned slightly as she explained. "Tahoma in Navajo means water's edge."

"You're part Indian then?"

"I'm one quarter Navajo as my mother was half Navajo." Kate answered her questions with a smile. She seemed to know that Polly was grilling her for information, but she had nothing to hide, so, she really didn't care. "She had a white mother and Navajo father."

"Where'd you get the reddish hair from then?" Polly inquired. "Considering that you're part Indian."

"My grandmother, she was Irish." At his chuckle, she grinned. "I know, my family history is all over the place. I chose to identify as American, since it's a great melting pot and there are so many races running through my veins anyway."

"How'd you wind up here?"

"My father was prospecting for silver." She smiled. "Said he asked my mother to marry her the moment he saw her."

Polly laughed along with her. "And she said what?"

"For some reason, she said yes! I've no idea why! My father was _not _an attractive man at the time. My mother said he was malnourished also very poor at the time." She smiled fondly. "But they loved each other, very much. I never saw a man more in love with a woman than my father. Once he struck it rich, he moved to England with my mother. His heart broke when she passed away, almost 12 years ago." Her voice was soft. "He's never been the same since."

" I apologize for your loss. What was your mother's name?"

"My mother's name was Kai, which means willow or hazel. She went by Willow when they moved to England." She covered her mouth and yawned. "Excuse me."

"You must be tired." He stood up. "I'll bring the car for you."

"No." she shook her head as she stood up. "Thank you again, but, I really would like to stretch my legs. It's a quick walk."

"Can we go?" Ruby asked.

Kate hesitated for a moment and looked to him for an answer. He hesitated and stated. "Go get your coats, we're going to walk Kate to her cottage."

They squealed and ran out of the room. "Really," Kate stated. "I don't want to be any trouble."

"You're not." He grabbed her empty bag and headed to the entryway.

"Are you sure?" she inquired as she walked after him. "I really don't want to be any inconvenience."

"Kate," he stated with an exhale. The woman could never accept any help, which, while not an unattractive trait, didn't allow much space for him to be alone with her at times. "did you ever stop to think that maybe I want to walk with you?"

Kate stopped in place and stared at him, her deep hazel eyes wide in surprise. He looked at her for a moment, semi-surprised that he'd actually admitted such a thought aloud to her. then…he realized, he actually did mean it.

He cleared his throat. "Get your hat and coat." Charlie and Ruby came running down the stairs. "Let's go."

Kate mutely did what he asked. For a moment, he thought he'd offended her, but when she pulled on her hat, she flashed him a faint smile. Yes, she was different from most women he'd met, genuinely innocent, honest and yet, there was a bold side to her.

It'd had been a while since he'd chased a woman before, but he still remembered how it went. He'd have to be careful with this one though, if he came on too strong…she'd run clean for the hills.

* * *

**Idcam: I've been having so much fun with this story, that I put my second story on hold so I can concentrate fully on it. I've got all the way up to chapter 11 typed up, I'm just fixing the final details but it's taking all my willpower not to post them straight away. This will be a long story, because I've got 43 other chapters in draft form and more chapters keep surfacing.**


	9. 9: How to be invisible

Chapter nine: How to be invisible

* * *

_Two weeks later, April 1930_

* * *

_With love to lead the way, I found more clouds of gray than any Russian play could guarantee. I was a fool to fall-_

"Kate?"

"Ahh!" Thomas chuckled as the birdseed went flying from Kate's hands. She grabbed onto the ladder tightly to keep from falling. He moved quickly and steadied the ladder as she shot him down an irritated glower. "Thomas, whatever your middle name is, Shelby! Stop scaring me!"

"Kate," he reached for her hand and helped her down the ladder. "I don't intend to scare you on purpose. You're just really jittery."

"You move like a cat! I never hear you coming until you're right atop of me! Why don't you call ahead first?" she demanded. "It would be less startling."

"Somehow, I doubt that." he stated as she moved towards her gardening space, which she knows he hadn't given her permission to build. However, she rather had a way of taking over a place; besides, she was more than happy to spend her money on making improvements. Kate opened the picket fence and stepped behind it. "This is new." His tone, suggested approval.

She nodded. "Yes. The children are interested in gardening, so, I thought I'd get them started. In addition, it'll be good practice for me."

"They visit you often?" he inquired as he leaned on the fence, his cap off his head. He wore a very unusual haircut. Who was she kidding? It was ridiculous, but it really suited him and his face. She couldn't think of another man who could wear that hairstyle and look as dashing as he did.

"They spend their weekends down here. You didn't know?" She attacked the ground with her hoe. "They helped me paint the porch floor."

"They didn't mention that." He frowned as he peered towards the cottage. "Why paint the floor?"

"Well, they wanted to paint the picket fence, but, I'd already done it. So, why not? They had fun. It's impractical, I know but they liked doing it. Besides, it adds to the charm of the cottage."

"You've done wonders with it and the children." He admitted. "They're growing very fond of you."

"Indeed." She straightened up and held his gaze. Having known him and the children long enough, she felt as if she could speak a little bolder towards him. "They're looking for a paternal figure and I'm as close as they can get." She stepped towards him, hoe in one hand. "They really want to spend more time with you."

"I'm busy Kate. I see them when I can." He stated, his polite tone had a slight warning that he didn't want to hear what she had to say on the subject. But she wasn't going to head that warning.

"Do you know what they miss about Lizzie most of all?" her quiet words took the wind right out his sails. "That she used to say goodnight to them and kiss them."

He was silent for a moment. "I didn't know that."

"I think…if you could manage telling them goodnight, it would make a world of difference.," she stated with a smile. "Ruby said you brought her a doll from town and Charlie got a boat."

"Do they tell you everything I do?"

"It seems like it." Kate laughed lightly. "But I'm happy to have some company once in a while. Besides, I'm an old spinster. It does my heart good to see children running around the place."

"You're still young Kate."

She laughed. "How old do you think I am Thomas?"

He studied her, top to bottom for a moment. "I'd say twenty-five, but I know you weren't thirteen when we met."

"I'm thirty-three." That was almost painful for her to admit. "My child-bearing days are almost gone."

"Come on, a beautiful famous author like you won't be single for too long." He reached for her hand and toyed with it. Kate felt her defenses go up again. These last few days, it seemed as if Thomas Shelby were making a play for her, whenever he stopped by. However, she wasn't quite sure, he could just be acting friendly towards her. "I'm sure dozens of men have been chasing after you."

"If I were a social woman, I'd know. But no, there's been no one for me since Emmett."

He was silent for a while, doing some calculating. "You were young when you were at Verdun then."

"18." She nodded. "Father had a friend forge a birth certificate so I appeared older than I was."

"And he let you go?"

"I didn't give him a choice. I couldn't bear to stand by helplessly." She blinked and snapped herself out of thoughts of Emmett and the war. "So, what brings you down my way?" she pulls her hand free from his and reaches for the hoe again. "Just passing by?"

"Not really." He leans on the fence. "My brother and I are thinking about buying a club and I need a woman's opinion about the place."

"Ask Polly." She stated without turning around to face her opinion. "She's got marvelous taste."

"Don't want her opinion. I want yours."

Those words caused her to freeze in her bent position for a good 30 seconds as his words slowly penetrated her mind. "Wait a minute." She straightened up. "Are you asking me out?"

"Yeah." He seemed very calm and laid back, as if this were no big deal to him.

"No!" Kate declared. "Why on earth would you invite me to a club?"

"Because I didn't have anyone else to invite."

"Do you honestly expect me to believe that I'm the only woman in the whole of England you can think of to invite?" she laughed and shook her head in disbelief. "I doubt that Thomas Shelby."

"You're the only woman I want to bring with me." the hoe fell out of her hand and her mouth dropped open in shock at his statement. He was a bold man. He danced around for a little bit, but then he spoke his mind. "Come on, you're the only woman I've kept company with since Lizzie's death. It doesn't make much sense to go with anyone else."

She bit her lip. "I suppose…I can see that."

"You've also excellent taste and I respect you opinion.'

She hesitates, not believing she was actually contemplating saying yes to this. "And, would we be alone?"

"No. My brother Arthur is returning from a trip. We're going to meet there." she bit her lip, unsure of what to say for a moment. "Come on," he coaxed. " it'll be fun."

She bit her lip and thought long and hard about it before giving in to his request. "Alright," he smiled broadly at her, causing her to add. "but I won't like it."

He chuckled. "You will. I'll see you at 6."

She nods. "I'll be ready." As he turned to walk away, she felt compelled to call after him. "And Thomas," he turned towards him, in the process of putting his cap back on his head. "there is _nothing _going to happen between us. Ever."

He was silent for a moment before stating. "We keep telling ourselves that Kate, but we both know…that really isn't true." Her mouth dropped open at his statement. "There _is _something going on, even if we both deny it. I've just stopped fighting it and maybe after tonight… you will too."

Kate had no words for him. she could only stare at him as he tipped his hat to her and went back into woods. She stood there for a good five minutes before exiting the garden and entering the cottage. As she entered the cottage, the sight that greeted her was the picture of her and Emmet together on their engagement day, on the mantelpiece.

She pulled the picture down and ran a finger over his face. "Don't worry. I promised I wouldn't love again after you and I won't. he can try everything, but I won't surrender."

As she placed the picture back on the mantle, Kate suddenly became aware of one thing. She was lying to the dead now. She sank down into the nearest chair as the realization hit her like a hammer.

She had feelings for Thomas Shelby….and she didn't want to have feelings for him or anyone. How did this happen to her?

* * *

"Where are you going?" Polly inquired.

"Arthur and I are getting into the Bleu Masque Club tonight." Tommy straightened his tie before reaching for his coat. Polly was more than happy to watch the children…until she found out in a few moments what it was he was up to for the evening.

"How are you going to manage that?" She frowned. "Both of you are peaky blinders so neither of you will be admitted. Bertani will probably have you shot on sight"

"That's why I'm bringing Kate with us. No one is going to deny a famous author admittance, regardless of who she's with." Polly shot him a disapproving look. "What?"

"You're mixing business with pleasure again." She warned. "Don't do it."

"Well," he pulled on coat. "Arthur is working the business. He'll be seeing who could be turned into a confidant. As for being with Kate...that's my business."

"You care about her." Thomas took another puff of his cigarette before mashing it out in the ashtray. "I'm thinking about hiring a private investigator to dig into Katherine Carter's past history." Now, she had his attention. Thomas paused in place and turned towards Polly. "There is something off about her and I don't trust you to see it."

"You'll not have anyone investigating her.," he stated firmly. " I mean it."

"Why not?" she demanded. "We know nothing about her! every time you start to fall in love, it always ends badly!"

"I know enough about Kate."

"Knowing enough, isn't enough." She stated firmly. "There's something suspicious about her. the way she has a hold on you and the children."

"Kate, is a lonely woman." He stated. "She has no family that she's close to and her fiancée is dead. Have some compassion."

"I have compassion, but I also have sense."

"Is this because she bought you that jewelry from Arizona?"

"No. it's because there is something about her that's changed you. it's different.

"If it'll set your mind at ease," he stated. "Kate I remembered where we met years ago."

"Where?" she inquired. "Was it during the war?"

"No. but it was something special…and I'm keeping it between us. It was twelve years ago and she helped me with something. Trust me on this, she's hiding nothing." He bit out as he grabbed a hat from his closet. "I don't see why you're so invested in checking her out."

"Because I don't want to see you get hurt again."

"Kate's different." He stated as he checked his wallet. "She's honest."

"Honest?" she said sarcastically. "No one is ever really honest." He rolls his eyes. "I'm serious. What about you? Does she know about you? what you do on the side?" he doesn't answer her. Polly had a point there. "You need to be honest with her. Starting with why you're bringing her to that club in the first place."

Thomas glanced at his watch. It was 6:00. He was supposed to be at the cottage now. He exhaled. "We'll argue later. I'm running late."

"Fine." she stated to walk away, but stopped in the doorway. "I told you this once before and I'll say it again. There's only one thing that can blind a man as smart as you, Tommy. Love." He exhaled and said nothing. "And this time…she'll hurt you more than Lizzie or Grace ever did."

Those words caused him to stop still in place. His heart stopped beating for a moment, he hated when she used that tone of voice on him. it normally meant that she was right. The doorbell ring and she left the room and headed down the stairs. He groaned and checked his appearance in the mirror one last time.

"Kate's here!" Charlie's excited voice traveled upstairs.

Ruby let out joyful gasp from the nursery and he grinned as she ran down the hall to the stairs. Children, were usually a good judge of character, far better than adults were. And the fact that both of them were comfortable around her spoke volumes to her character.

But what the hell was she doing here at the house? He was picking her up. not the other way around. Truth to be told, he was a little pleased that she'd showed up, because maybe his words had an effect on her today. Maybe, Kate was ready to try again.

He tucked his pocket watch into his vest coat and tilted his black bow tie slightly off to the side. Whether or not Kate bothered to straighten it, that would offer more insight to how she felt. He then came down the stairs, following the sound of Ruby and Charlie's laughter.

"You look so pretty!" Ruby crowed.

"Thank you Ruby." He didn't even to see her face to know she was smiling, he could hear it. "It's a lovely dress, isn't it?"

And that's when he saw her for the first time and he nearly choked. She wore a clinging, green, satin dress, similar to what Jean Harlow wore in one of her pictures. Kate wore the dress with a class and elegance that Jean Harlow couldn't pull off. She stood up from her kneeling position on the floor by Ruby, revealing she wore a simple pearl necklace around her throat. She wore simple white gloves and clutched a black, beaded purse. Her hair was twisted up into a loose updo, secured with a beaded pearl clip.

As if sensing his eyes on her, she glanced up towards him and smiled shyly. He returned her smile as he descended the stairs. "Kate, I was picking you up."

"Yes, I know." She adjusted her white, fur stole around shoulders. "I-I haven't done this in years, so, I got jittery and thought a quick walk would calm me down. Next think I know, here I am on the front porch, so…why not come in?"

"Are you two going out on a date?" Charlie asked.

"No." Kate stated at the exact moment Thomas said. "Yes."

Both of the children looked confused by the different answers. She bit her lip and cleared her throat. "We should be going."

"Is she going to be our new mother?" Ruby asked.

"No." Kate said quickly, but the look on Ruby's face hurt her soul.

"Aunt Polly said she probably would be." Charlie supplied.

"Ok, listen here you two." Thomas knelt down to Ruby and Charlie's level. "Kate and I are friends, for now. Now, I would love to be more than friends with Kate." she stared at him, not believing he's actually telling them this. "But someone hurt her a long time ago, so, she's a little scared. So, we're going to have to be patient with her. Do you understand?" They both nod. "Good. now, I'll be back tomorrow." He gave them each a quick hug, but he was surprised at how they clung to him. "Behave for your aunt."

"Alright daddy."

"Yes."

He took her elbow and guided her down the steps. He then helped her into the backseat of the car before climbing in beside her. Kate was silent for a moment before stating. "Are you sure about this?"

"Positive Kate." This was business mixed with pleasure. He and Arthur would get into one of Kovach's headquarters and get a good look around. However, his pleasure was to spend the evening with Kate. "You look beautiful."

She smiled and tightly curled her fingers around his hand. "Thank you." her eyes narrowed slightly as she cleared her throat as she leaned forward to adjust his tie. He smiled at her, causing her to flush nervously. She was skittish, but it was part of her charm. "There you go."

"Thank you."

She cleared her throat again as she stated. "You're missing a flower for your buttonhole."

"Do I look like a pansy?" Kate laughed at his glower. "I should have bought you something though."

"Buy me a rose in town then." And just like that, the atmosphere was light and cheerful again. Nothing could stay wrong for long with her around.

* * *

**Velairis: I haven't had this much fun with a story since 2017. I've actually got 29,990 words already typed, waiting to be divided into actual chapters.**

**Angel029: Thank you!**

**Idcam: Your excitement is contagious, hence all the chapters coming out so fast. Polly's suspicions will soon be confirmed. Her present will show up around chapters 16 or 17 and the letter, will be towards the very end.**

**Rock on Ancient Queen: Thank you very much for reviewing. And yes, I do hear Kate Bush when I write the chapters. I actually play the songs on repeat until I finish the chapter. I could listen to her for hours.**

* * *

**Author Note**

** My friend, 'Sense'N'Sensibility' has made a book trailer for 'Moments of Pleasure'. **

**She hates revealing spoilers, so, she's waiting for me to get to a certain chapter before uploading the trailer.**

**I will post the link once it's available.  
**


	10. 10: Big Stripey Lie

Chapter 10: Big Stripey Lie

* * *

Thomas gripped Kate's hand as he helped her out of the car. "Thank you." She smoothed her skirt before taking Thomas's offered arm. Her soul was burning to know if Thomas really meant what he said to the children, or was he putting it on for her benefit. But she couldn't ask him if really meant it, because she wasn't what she'd do if he said that he did.

She bit her lip as he led her towards the club. Her blood stilled as she realized that she was going to be stepping into the Bleu Masque for the first time in fifteen years. She inhaled sharply and bit her lip. Something was very wrong with this whole picture.

Ivan Bertani had fought for years to keep this club; there was no way that he would surrender it to Thomas Shelby. Her father had helped him keep this club, killing whoever was threatening Ivan to ensure he'd keep it. That fact alone made one thing clear.

Thomas had lied to her when he said that he was buying the club. He needed to get inside, but he wasn't allowed in. However, by using her, a famous female author, they'd surely get in. She knew Bertani had a lot of ties to men involved in illegal activities. Thomas, she suspected of having mob ties, this pretty much confirmed her suspicions.

"Ah, Arthur." Thomas's voice broke her out of her troubled thoughts. She glanced up as an older man, with a moustache approaches them. Thomas flashed her an indulgent smile. "Arthur, this is Kate Carter."

Her blood is boiling as she shakes Arthur's hand. "A real pleasure." He says as he removes his hand. "So, you're the one who's kept Tommy from losing his mind." Thomas shoots him a strict look. "Thank you…for keeping him together."

"You're welcome." Her voice comes out lighter than she feels.

"Shall we go in?" Thomas asks as he leads her towards the entrance of the club.

She's unsure what to do. Half of her wants to rip away from him and head off down the street, after slapping him. The other half of her knew that he'd been extremely kind and generous to her while letting her live in the cottage, so, she should just allow it.

"Hold it." Someone, presumably the manager, approached them with a sneer the moment they crossed the threshold of the club door. "You're not allowed in here."

"Excuse me?" Thomas said calmly, though she knew it was a façade. "Do you know who we are?"

"Yes. Thomas and Arthur Shelby." The man snapped his fingers at two of the bouncers. "You and your floozy are not allowed in here.

Kate's blood boiled over and she decided that she was going to unleash her anger on this man instead of Thomas. "Where the hell is Bertani?" Kate demanded, her tone was so strict that all 3 men turned to look at her in amazement. "Is he in?" The man didn't answer. "I will not repeat myself! Answer me now!"

"He won't see you."

"I demand that you tell him Katherina is here." She snapped. "At once!"

"I certainly will not. I'm not sure what your game is, but I will not be privy to it."

Kate peered around the man's shoulder and shouted. "Emilio!" He cursed in French before spinning around towards her. She waved at the older man as his face lit up joyfully. All the men looked on in confusion as Emilio approached them, speaking rapidly and happily in French to her. He hugged her and she gladly returned the hug. "Merci. Would you please be a dear and fetch Bertani for me? I've been refused admission with my guests." Emilio looked flabbergasted. "This buffoon called me a floozy and is threatening to throw me out."

Emilio's eyes widened and he began laughing. "Thank you for coming Katherine. I've been waiting for this…buffoon to lose his job for a long time now!"

Emilio ran off towards the office. Thomas glanced at her. "You're a little scary Kate."

She shot him a look, warning him to be silent, lest she turn her tongue on him. He, however, didn't cower from that look, he dared to match it head on. At least, until Arthur nudged him and shook his head, suggesting that he not stare her down while she was in this mood.

They stood silently in the entrance, everyone seemed to be waiting for the right moment to draw breath. Even the bouncers seemed to be dreading the wait.

"Katherina?" Kate stepped around the manager towards Ivan Bertani. The man let out a huge laugh as he enfolded her into a hug. He was a lot larger since the last time she saw him and his brown hair was growing thinner. However, his green eyes still held the zest for life that she knew so many years ago. "Oh, my dear girl. So good to see you again."

"Thank you Bertani." She smiled before pressing a kiss to his cheek. "I was in London and I decided to bring a few friends to dinner. And your manager," Ivan shot a death look to the manager who seemed to shrink. "denied us admission, refused to tell you I was here and called me a floozy."

"Get him out of my club!" Ivan barked. "Throw him out now."

"She's with the Shelby's!" the man whined as the bouncers grabbed him.

Ivan's eyes narrowed as he turned towards her. Kate kept a calm and straight face as she held Bertani's gaze. "This is strictly pleasure, we're not here for business. You have my word."

"I trust you Kate. No need to explain. If he is your guest, I'll allow it just this once." Thomas and Arthur shot each other a look of surprise. "However, I do not want to see them here again."

"That's a deal." She gave him another hug around the shoulder. "Thank you very much. I am starving."

"You always had a healthy appetite." Kate laughed as Bertani reached for her stole. "May I?"

"Of course." Thomas and Arthur approached her as Bertani helped her slide out of it. She heard Thomas inhale sharply beside her as her shoulders and back was exposed. Truth to be told, she wasn't sure why she bought this dress in America. It was just so lovely, that she couldn't resist purchasing it. She turned to acknowledge him and sure enough, the look on his face told her that he clearly was impressed. Normally, she'd feel flattered, but right now, she really want to punch him.

"Bloody hell." Arthur whispered. "She's a fine one."

Bertani glanced at them and smiled knowingly. "Ah, I see its Thomas you're with. I'm surprised Kate, thought you hated politics and here you are with a member of parliament."

Kate blinked and glanced at him. "I had no idea." Another thing about Thomas Shelby she didn't know. Now, she could only wonder what else she didn't know about him.

Bertani laughed. "No wonder. You never liked to pick up a newspaper and keep up to date. Have you voted yet?"

"Nope and I don't intend to." Bertani guided her through the crowded club. "Mr. Shelby saved my life and I'm returning the favor."

Bertani studied Thomas a moment before shaking his hand after seating Kate at the table. "Thank you. she's a good girl, like the daughter I never had." Kate rubbed her neck uneasily, she hated getting compliments. "Now," Bertani clapped his hands together. "Everything is on the house." Kate shook her head. "I insist. I make enough money and besides, you're like family. And speaking of family, how is your father?"

Kate was silent before admitting. "I haven't seen or spoken to him in a few years."

Bertani is silent for a long moment before saying. "He's a good man Kate. Never forget that." Kate said nothing and fortunately, the headwaiter came over to the table take their drink orders. Bertani squeezed her shoulder. "I'll let you enjoy your evening. It's good to see you looking happy again Kate."

Kate smiled at him, because she wasn't happy. She was upset, but at least she knew Bertani had bought her performance. She turned to the waiter and promptly ordered. "I'll have the French 75, thank you."

"Whiskey for me." Thomas stated. "And the same for my brother."

"The gentlemen will try the Ward 8. Make it strong please." She stated. The waiter nodded and hurried away with the drink orders. She removed her gloves and slapped them on the table. "The Ward 8 has whiskey in it. ever had it?"

"Never 'eard of it." Arthur stated.

"I figured as much." Kate grabbed the menu and began to peruse it.

"It's a great place." Thomas stated as he pulled a cigarette from his pocket. "Thanks for getting us in Kate."

"You, shut up Thomas Shelby." Both men froze in shock at her words. She didn't stop there as she grabbed the cigarette from Thomas's mouth and slapped it on the table. "If either of you stoop to using me like that again, you will be sorry."

"Now Kate-

"I am not a fool." She snapped as she pointed angrily at him. "It's quite clear that you're here to scope out the place, for what, I don't know nor do I want to know."

"Listen here Kate." Thomas leaned forward as he grabbed her wrist, his tone low. He paused as the waiter approached with their drinks. Kate didn't even wait for the waiter to hand it to her. She grabbed it off the tray with her free hand and took a long drink.

The man's brows rose as he asked. "Are you ready to order?"

"Not yet." Thomas stated.

"Second round of drinks please." Arthur stated as he took a drink. He nodded approvingly. "Good choice Kate."

"Thank you." Kate figured he was being polite since the drink was probably too weak for men like them. He saw she was furious and didn't want to wind up in Thomas's shoes.

"Kate," Thomas growled. "it's not what you think it is."

"I grew up with Ivan Bertani." She snapped. "He's best friends with my father and there is no way in Hell he'd sell to you. He's already stated he wants to be burned in his club when he dies." Thomas's face stiffened as he realized the game was up. she hissed angrily at him as he released her hand. "I will not be used in such a manner again!"

"I didn't use you!" he snapped. She snorted and rolled her eyes. "Not completely." She took another drink. "I needed your celebrity status as a decoy to get in."

"That much I figured out." She set the drink down and crossed her arms. "And after we were in? what then?"

"That's on Arthur." She was almost tempted to believe him. "Everything else, the dinner and the dancing…that was on me."

"Then there's only one way to save this evening." She leaned forward slightly. "I want to hear an apology Thomas Shelby."

Arthur choked in laughter on his drink. Thomas leaned forward and glowered at her. "I don't do apologies."

"Oh, I know that," she growled back. "which is why you're going to give me the next best thing. Your word of honor that this will never happen again. You forced me to have to use connections from a past I'd buried almost 15 years to get you two in here for whatever mischief you two have planned."

"How are you connected to this place?" he demanded. "This isn't a place for a socialite like you to normally associate with."

"Yet, you felt comfortable enough inviting me here." She said sarcastically. "Bertani is a good friend of my father. He gave my father boat fare to get to America all those years ago. But back to the subject at hand." she stated firmly. "I am…expecting you to give me the respect that I deserve and not use me like that again." he opened his mouth, but she cut him off. "I am not a violin, Mr. Shelby, you can't pick me up and play me whenever you chose. I dance to my own tune...not yours."

* * *

**Velairis: I've been a bit concerned that I've written him a little too light and open, especially since season 5 left him in a dark place. So, I had to give him a little nudge into his past life.  
**

**Idcam: With all the encouragement everyone's giving me, it's hard not to crank them out**


	11. 11: Love and Anger

Chapter eleven: Love and Anger

* * *

For a moment, Thomas wasn't sure if he was going to strangle her or kiss her.

Kate's hair was starting to come free from her hairpins and her eyes were on fire. They both sat staring at each other, their fists doubled and breathing hard. Neither was choosing to back down to the other. She had a very valid point, he hadn't anticipated on her knowing this establishment, since she was a recluse. But she did and she went along with the plan in spite of her obvious anger towards him.

However, only when Arthur started chuckling did they dare to blink. His chuckle irked Thomas, so he kicked him under the table. "Ow!" Kate broke the stare down to glance at Arthur as he rubbed his shin. "I can't help it. You two are more entertain' than the movies!"

"Glad to be amusing." She bit out tightly.

"You're a regular firecracker." Arthur stated. "You bit off more than you can handle, this time Tommy."

"I can handle Kate just fine." Thomas stated.

"Handle me?" And he knew he'd managed to throw kerosene on the fire already burning within her.

"Kate?" She obviously recognized the voice, for she spun around. A beaming smile on her face for the young man who approached their table. He leaned over and kissed her on both cheeks. Thomas felt his blood begin to boil in his veins. "I thought it was you."

"It's been a long time Daniel." She stated as she stood up and hugged him. She then began speaking in French to the man. Not knowing what she was saying, only served to irritate him further.

"Ah, and is this your Emmett?" he asked, looking at Thomas. "Much more intimidating than you described him. But I can see why a woman would admire his dark, smoldering looks."

"No." Kate patted Daniel's hand. "Daniel was murdered before we had the chance to marry, almost 12 years ago."

"Oh no!" Daniel gave her a hug. "You didn't deserve that my darling, but I'm glad to see you've moved on." He turned to Thomas. "I hope you've been treating my girl well!" Thomas was briefly surprised that this man, felt bold enough to state such a thing to a man he barely knew. "She's a good woman; I don't think any man on this world is good enough for her. She saved my life, you know?"

Kate blushed as she sat back down in her chair. "It was nothing."

"Do tell." Thomas picked up the cigarette Kate had practically slapped out of his mouth and put it in the ashtray. "She didn't mention it."

"It was during the battle of Verdun." Thomas let out a mental groan. Why did Kate have to be connected to that battle? "I was an ambulance driver. I was shot in the shoulder and barely made it to the hospital from the loss of blood. She bandaged me up and I was sent back out to get more men. She defied matron's orders and went with me. Good thing she did. I passed out halfway and she had to drive the truck." Thomas stared at her in surprise. Kate shifted uncomfortably and took a large swallow of champagne. "I came to just as she finished directing men into the back of the ambulance. On the way back to the hospital, a German soldier wearing a British uniform, flagged down our ambulance and he shot me when we slowed down to help him. He didn't see her as a threat, which was a mistake on his part. She a gun on her and she shot him in the face!"

Arthur choked on his drink and stared at her. "Flipping Hell, you did that?"

Kate shrugged. "It was a lucky shot."

"You shot him between the eyes." Daniel stated. "You barely even bothered to aim. That's not really a lucky shot Kate."

"Ok, so I had some experience shooting guns." She shrugged. "It was no big deal." Thomas studied her, Kate was clearly uncomfortable; whether it was from Daniel talking or reliving the past war, he couldn't tell.

"She then kept pressure on my wound and got us back to the hospital. Matron chewed her out something awful, but, she took it." Daniel's face sobered. "Things didn't go to well once they sent you away. Not as nicely maintained and a lot of the men missed you."

Kate nodded. "They felt that the men would view it as a betrayal, since I was engaged to the enemy."

"You were better than the whole lot of them. You got things done." A tango started playing and Daniel grinned. "Shall we Kate?"

"Oh, I couldn't," she shook her head. "it's been years."

"Just hang on, I'll get you through it." his eyes narrowed as he picked up Kate's glass. "Yours?" she nodded. "Ok, drink it down and let's go."

Kate took a swallow and allowed Daniel to drag her out onto the dance floor. Thomas took a sip from the Ward 8 that she'd ordered for them. It was a bit sweeter than he preferred, but with the anger Kate was feeling towards him, he should be lucky that she didn't poison him.

"She's…different." Arthur offered. Thomas nodded in agreement, as he watched Kate and Daniel dance together. Many people stared at them as Kate and Daniel adopted a hold that left them chest to chest. Kate seemed oblivious to the display she was causing and simply focused on her partner. "So, you two together?"

"Not really. Just…testing the waters."

Arthur studied him, as if deciding to press the issue. He did. "I hope you don't muck this one up tom." Thomas glanced at him. "She's unlike any woman we've ever known. Even Grace." Now Arthur had his full attention. "I'm not speaking badly of her, I just mean…Grace was an agent…Kate was in the war."

"Excuse me." That irritating waiter was back again. "May I take your order now?"

Since none of them had to bother to look at the menu, he just ordered. "We'll take the steak specials."

"Rare." Arthur ordered and Thomas nodded in agreement with him.

The crowd let out a gasp, causing him to glance at the dance floor, to see Kate had her leg around Daniel's waist as he dipped her backwards on the floor. Their eyes met briefly from her upside down position. "And," he glanced at the menu. "the chicken special for the lady."

"Right away Sir." The man nodded. "Your food will be ready momentarily."

"And a bottle of champagne." Arthur added with an exhale as he reached into his pocket for a smoke. Arthur offered him a cigarette, but he shook his head. He still couldn't believe that Kate had actually smacked that cigarette out of his mouth. "I like her." Arthur declared. "I can see why you'd like her. She's interesting."

Thomas nodded, not willing to admit to his brother that he found the woman downright fascinating. But this event proved one thing. Polly was right. Kate did have a past and she'd hidden it well. What that past was, he couldn't say. He was almost tempted to have Polly resume her investigation into Kate's life, but that idea gnawed at him, telling him not to do it.

"Ahh, the tango," Daniel's voice drew him out of his thoughts. Kate was smiling for a moment, until their eyes met, then the smile faded. Yes, she was still upset with him. "I'd be happy to give you some pointers Mr. Shelby. A real man has to know how to handle a woman, especially on the dance floor."

"Believe me," he bit out. "I know how to handle a woman."

"Wonderful. Kate always loves a good Tango." Daniel turned to Arthur. "Take Kate for a dance would you, my good man?" Kate's entire body stiffened and Arthur glowered at Daniel. "I'd like to have a word with Mr. Shelby alone."

"No." Kate said. "You will not Daniel."

"If Mr. Shelby is a gentleman, he will honor the request of a soldier, even if he was a mere ambulance driver."

Arthur stood up. "Come one Kate. Let them talk."

"Men!" she growled as Arthur moved her to the dance floor, despite all of her protests. "Always have to make a situation out of nothing!"

Tommy studied Daniel. He seemed like a harmless monkey that had decided to crawl into the cage with a lion.

"I know who you are and you're going to listen to me." Daniel ordered. Thomas blinked in surprise. Either Daniel was very brave or very foolish to be talking to him like that. "Kate is a dear friend of mine. In addition to saving my life, she saved the life of someone I loved very much. She deserves peace of mind, so I need you to do something for me."

""I'm intrigued." He admitted as he leaned back in his chair. "What do you have in mind?"

"Find the man who killed Emmett and kill him." Thomas straightened upright. "I know who you are and you peaky blinders don't scare me." Thomas almost laughed at the man's stupidity. "I don't like to get my hands dirty, nor do I have the constitution for blood anymore since the war."

"And I do?"

"I see the way you look at Kate." Daniel stated. "I'm not sure if it's a game to you or if you genuinely care for her. If you do care for her, you'll do this for her."

"Any ideas on who I should begin interrogating?" he asked dryly.

Daniel nodded. "I think it was Kate's brother who ordered the assassination."

He frowned. "Assassination?"

Daniel nodded. "I call it an assassination, when you kill a man who's crippled and can't fight back."

"You told Kate you didn't know anything about his death."

"I lied to her. If she knew I'd been keeping my ears open for details these past years, she'd be angry with me." He reached for Kate's drink and took a sip. "She needs that peace Mr. Shelby. If I were a violent man, I'd find out myself, but I'm not that kind of man."

"And I am that kind of man?"

"Yes, you are." He stated boldly. "You're ruthless too, so, I know you'll find the man who did it and make sure he pays dearly for robbing her of the life she could have had." He studied Thomas. "I daresay you know what that feels like."

He's quiet for a moment as he reaches for his drink. He knew exactly what Daniel was referring to. Grace dying in his arms after being shot. Were Daniel not Kate's friend, he'd have hit him by now. "I'll see what I can do."

"Good." Daniel turned towards Kate. "That girl's endured a lot. The war, her mother dying and her fiancée getting shot to death at the altar with standing there."

Thomas nearly dropped his drink. "Someone shot him during the actual ceremony?"

"Right in the middle of the vows, so, I'm told. Kate's father," he shook his head in disgust. "he's a gangster, bootlegger and smuggler. The man refused to find out who shot her fiancée, which is why she hasn't spoken to him since. She changed her name and cut all ties with her family."

He was now starting to understand her a bit better. His own father was a hustler; thief, whoremonger and he deserted his family. When he was finally shot and killed at a bar in Boston, almost 7 years ago, he'd felt nothing. However, he knew what it was like to be labeled because of one's father. He, as a man, could fight and shake free from his father's curse.

Kate, she'd had to change her name all together to be free from that legacy. But her father had done something worse than his had. He'd allowed her fiancée to die at the hands of her brother and left her to suffer. He hadn't even bothered to avenge her grief because it meant having to punish his son. Another reason Kate seemed to distrust men, her own father had let her down.

"What is her father's name?" He asked.

Daniel glanced sideways at him. "Has Kate told you yet?"

He shakes his head. "Not yet."

"That's her information to share. Not mine." He took Kate's drink and downed the last of it. "Look at her." Kate was laughing as she approached the table with Arthur, who was actually smiling. "What could she have done to deserve such pain like that?" Daniel turned to him. "She deserves to happy. So don't hurt her, she's had enough."

Thomas felt certain as he extended his hand to Daniel. "I assure you…I only have her best interests at heart."

"Thank you." Daniel stood up. "If I hear anything else, I'll let you know."

"Appreciated. But I give you my word…I will find him."

Daniel said nothing, but his smile spoke volumes of his appreciation. "Again," both men turned towards Kate. "thank you Arthur, it was fun to talk with you."

"And you're a good dancer." Arthur was practically smiling his approval of Kate. She was a charmer, it was almost impossible for someone not to become enthralled with her. "Far better than me."

"Nonsense, you're underestimating yourself. I haven't' dance in years." Kate reached for her empty glass and frowned slightly. "Daniel?"

He grinned at her. "It's my favorite drink; you know how I love lemons. Now, you two dance and make up." Kate shot Daniel a warning look, which he blew off with a laugh. "You two can't fool me, go ahead."

Thomas stood up and reached for Kate's hand. "Come on, we can fit in one dance before dinner."

She frowned. "But I didn't order my dinner yet!"

"I ordered you the chicken special," he pulled her into his arms. "if that's alright for you."

Kate nodded. "Yes, it seemed pretty tasty. Good guess." She bit her lip and glanced nervously around the room. "What did Daniel want to talk to you about?"

"He wanted to make sure that I wasn't going to hurt you." He pulled her a little bit closer so he could speak to her. "And Kate," she glanced upwards and froze; her face tattled that she wasn't expecting him to be this close to her. She attempted to shift away, but he kept her secure. "I give you my word; I won't do anything like that again. I promise."

She smiled at him and he felt the tension leave her body. "Thank you very much."

He hesitated a moment before asking. "Do you want to know what we're doing or-

"No." she bit her lip. "My father used to do that, use me as a distraction to get into a place…then he and his men would kill everyone there."

"With you in the room?" Thomas's disdain for her father was growing by the second.

"He'd always make an excuse to sit me near an open window. When the shooting started, Bertani would grab me through the window and get me to safety. No one lived to figure out the decoy and by the time I was 12, I refused to take part in any more of those and told my mother. I never understood what was going on prior to that. He'd started using me when I was 6."

He was silent for a moment, attempting to think of a subject to take her mind off her gloomy thoughts. Kate did have a dark past. "Now, am I to expect something of an apology from you, in regards to your behavior with Daniel during that Tango?"

The woman had the audacity to look confused before laughing. "Thomas," she leaned forward and whispered in his ear. "Daniel's a homosexual. He's a very good dancer and I enjoy dancing with him. But…obviously, if my name were Kurt, he'd be more interested in me." She glanced back at the table and her face stilled. "However, he appears to be hitting on Arthur at the moment."

"Arthur can take care of himself." he stopped dancing on the floor, forcing her to look back towards him. "You really are a beautiful woman Kate," she flushed. "so forgive me, if I don't want to share you with anyone else in the room. Regardless of their choice in sexual partners."

Kate was silent for a moment before stating with conviction. "Thomas, look, I've loved one man all my life."

He nods. "I know that Kate."

"What I'm saying is... I'm not capable of loving another man." He was a little surprised by her honesty, but not the answer. "So, it would be foolish of you to try with me."

"That's the thing about foolishness Kate." He said calmly. "From what Daniel's told me, I'd be a foolish man not to try to get you to fall in love with me."

Kate was stunned for a moment. He could practically see the conflict rolling around in her mind. "But what about Grace?" she asked gently. Her words, no matter how soft, still sent a sharp pang to his heart. She smiled gently at him. "See? You still love Grace and I still love Emmett. Looking for anything beyond friendship between the two of us is ridiculous."

He was silent for a moment. "Grace and Emmett are both gone." Her eyes flashed a little with some buried pain. "I don't think they'd mind if we tried again. After all Kate, I'm not proposing to you. We're just going out together, where's the harm in that?"

"I told you once before, I bring bad luck to everyone I know." she stated. "I don't want to bring bad luck to you."

"You're not bad luck Kate. You're just scared to love again." people around the floor applauded the band as they departed the stand. People began to leave the floor, but they didn't move. "Just because we lost someone we love Kate…it doesn't mean we stop trying." He gently rubbed his thumb across her chin. "Can we at least try Kate? You've never been with a man like me before; I can take care of anything you or anyone else throws at me."

Kate blinked back tears and was silent for what seemed like a long moment. He could tell that she'd been thinking about the possibilities between them, but probably wasn't expecting him to call her on them. "Alright, we can give it a try." She exhaled deeply. "I don't know why I'm agreeing to this. I know it's a mistake."

"Maybe…you're agreeing because you know it's a bigger mistake not to try." She didn't say anything to that and she didn't need to. The answer was in her eyes; she was scared, but she had feelings for him. In that moment, he made a promise to himself.

He'd find the man that killed her fiancée.

* * *

**Velaris: Kate has a little bit of sass which comes out when needed.**

**IdCam: Well, as this chapter revealed, you know a bit more of the mystery. Were you expecting her to have that kind of past?**


	12. 12: Cloudbursting

Chapter twelve: Cloudbursting

* * *

_May of 1930_

* * *

"Kate?" Kate opened her eyes and yawned at the sound of Ruby and Charlie's excited voices. "Where are you?"

"Don't yell." That was Thomas's voice and he sounded tense. "She's up on the roof."

Kate sat up and peered down at them. She waved cheerfully. "Good morning!" she smiled broadly. "I see all 3 of you are out for a ride." She smiled at Ruby and Charlie. "And you two have your own miniature horse now. Is it a boy or a girl?"

"It's a girl." Ruby chirped.

"We named her Tinkerbell…from Peter Pan." Charlie added.

She laughed. "How lovely, we'll have to finish that book soon, shall we?"

"Kate," Thomas was definitely nervous to see her on the roof. "Can you get down?"

"Of course, I got up here didn't I?"

"She's up there all the time." Charlie stated as she threw her notebook over the edge of the roof, watching it land in the garden with a satisfied plop.

Thomas hopped off his horse and handed Charlie the reins. "Stay here." He walked around to the side of the house, towards the ladder. "Come on Kate, I'll help you down."

Kate stood up and walked towards the ladder. "Am I making you nervous?"

"Will you just get down, you bloody, daft woman!" he snapped.

Kate stared down at him, bracing the ladder and his knuckles white from gripping the ladder firmly. Kate crossed her arms, a smile on her face. "That's not very gentlemanly like."

"I'm past being a gentleman," he waved for her to get down as the children giggled at this scene. "now, get down this ladder."

"Not until you move away." He shot her a look of disbelief. "It's not proper!"

He blustered for a moment before snapping. "Kate, I've been married twice and fought in the war in France. Do you really think your undergarments are the first I've seen?" she placed her hands on her hips glowered down at him. "Sorry, can you please get down here? I won't look"

"Well, since you asked so nicely," she said sarcastically. "how can I refuse?" Thomas muttered something in another language as she descended the ladder. "Are you cursing at me, Thomas Shelby?"

"Possibly. You're damn infuriating at times."

"What language was that?" she inquired. "I'm not familiar with the dialect."

"Romani gypsy."

Kate stopped halfway down the ladder to peer down at him. "Really? That's fascinating. Where'd you pick that up?"

He taps the sides of the ladder impatiently. "I'm not telling you anything until your feet are on the ground."

She snorted and continued to descend the ladder. Once she was on the fourth rung, she felt strong hands grip her around the waist and carefully help her get down the final rungs. She blushed. "Easy there, you worry too much."

"You," he stated, with a finger pointed at her nose. "take too many unnecessary risks. What the hell were you doing up there anyway?"

"Writing." She pulled free and headed towards the garden, the grass tickling her bare feet. "It's a beautiful day, the sun is shining and those May flowers are finally starting to grow. Why wouldn't I want to be on the roof?"

"Because you're not a bird."

"So," she swerved her course from the garden towards the horses. "Where are you guys going for a ride?"

"To the stream and back." Thomas stated as she rubbed Tinkerbell's nose. "They have to get back for lunch."

"Oh, why don't I put a picnic lunch together for you all?" she asked. "You can call the house and say you won't be there for lunch."

"I've got work to do."

"Couldn't you put it off for an hour? You have to eat too."

Thomas hesitated, looking at Ruby and Charlie's faces. They were hoping, but kept their excitement stifled in case he said no. he exhaled. "Alright," Ruby and Charlie both started shrieking. "but only," their voices died down. "if you accompany us."

She frowned. "How would I get there?'

"You know how to ride. You can hop up with me."

"Alright, I guess we're going on a picnic!" Thomas took the reins for his horse from Charlie and moved to tie him to the porch rail. "Ok, Ruby and Charlie, dismount. I need you two to pick as many berries as you can find in the garden. I happen to have some food for a picnic."

"Kate-

"Make that call Thomas, then give me a hand in the kitchen. You can tell me how you know Romani gypsy." She gripped her skirt and swished towards the porch. "And Charlie, bring my notebook inside please!"

* * *

Thomas exhaled as he watched Kate begin to tuck the food scraps inside her picnic hamper. Kate's idea of 'some food' involved ham, brie cheese, bread and butter, crackers, fresh fruit and bars of dark chocolate.

"Can we go play tag?"

He nodded. "Yes, don't go in the creek though."

Kate cleared her throat. "How about…wading?"

He hesitated before nodding. "Alright, leave your socks and shoes here." Both of them plopped onto the picnic blanket and ripped off their shoes and socks. "Stay where we can see you!"

"Yes daddy!" Ruby said. "Thank you!"

He smiled faintly at her. "You're welcome." Charlie took her hand and they ran down the creek. "You've done wonders with her."

She frowned. "How so?"

"She's never really called me daddy much."

She bit her lip. "Maybe, it's not me. Maybe, its you." he frowned slightly. "I mean, with Lizzie gone, she gets to spend more time with you. You also spend more time with them. Ruby and Charlie tell me that you read them stories on the weekends occasionally."

He chuckles as he leans back against the oak tree. "When I have the time."

"Little things can make a large difference." She resumed tucking the food into basket, wrapping them in the cloth. "Remember, you used to spend almost no time with them."

A loud splash caused him to jump. To his relief, it was just Charlie throwing rocks into the stream. He exhaled deeply again and leaned back against the tree. The nightmares had started up again when Lizzie died. He hadn't had any panics in the daytime for a long time and he hoped that today wasn't one of those days.

A glance towards Kate, informed him that she'd observed the whole moment. "Are you ok?" she asked gently. "You're a little jumpy."

He shrugs. "I'm fine."

She's silent for a moment before asking. "One of those days?" he turns towards her in surprise. "I get them on occasion." she sits down beside him. "With what we've seen…it's impossible to forget them completely, or to even find peace completely."

"How'd you find yours?" he asked.

She was silent for a moment. "Well, I ran into some man in a stable many years ago who was going to shoot his horse." He chuckled lightly. "He gave me some pretty sage advice."

"What could that advice have been?"

"To hang in there." She scooted closer into his side, put her arm through his and gripped his hand. "You never know who will need your help when you're gone. The world would be a lot darker if you weren't in it." His grip was loose for a minute, but he squeezed her hand. She exhaled and leaned her head against his shoulder, closing her eyes. "And then…there are days like this when…you just have to let the peace come to you."

She smiled as he placed his other hand on top of hers, gripping her hand firmly. She placed her right hand on his knee and rubbed it slowly, feeling the tension slowly leave his body. Kate had this soothing quality about her, he didn't understand it. He didn't understand how she was able to get him to do whatever she wanted.

Before leaving, she'd made him leave his coat in the cottage so it wouldn't get dirty. On the ride to the stream, she'd kept both her arms around his waist while he held the picnic basket with one hand. He could tell his closeness still unease her on occasion, but it was due to her inexperience with men.

A shriek and splash caused them to look up. Kate laughed lightly as he stood up, helping her to her feet. "It looks like Ruby slipped and fell in."

"Damn it." he muttered as they headed down to the stream. "I told her not to get wet."

"I'm sure it was an accident. Just brush it off." Ruby started crying loudly. "See, she's already terrified she's going to be punished."

"Ruby slipped on a rock." Charlie said from where he was helping her to her feet. "It was an accident."

Thomas decided to go with Kate's advice. "I see." He sat down on the edge of a huge rock and watched them. Ruby stopped crying and started sniffling in confusion. "How's the water?"

"Is it cold?" Kate asked as she sat next to him on the rock, her hip brushing up against his as she knelt over to remove her shoes and unroll her stockings.

"No." Ruby wiped her eyes. "It's good."

Kate brought her skirt up a respectable height as she wandered into the stream. "Oh, this is lovely." She turned towards him. "Come on in and join us."

"Nope." He stated. He wasn't going to get in there.

"Come on Thomas." she came out of the stream and stood by him. "It'll be fun." He shook his head as he leaned back slightly. "I'll let you hold my hand."

"Tempting, but I'll watch." Kate didn't even blink. She grabbed his shoe right off his foot and ran for the stream. "Kate!" he bellowed as he raced after her.

She turned, dangling the shoe over the water, causing him to slow down. "Then kick off your shoes and join us."

"Those," he approached her cautiously. "shoes…cost me 20 fu-

"Language!" Kate cut him off. "There are children present."

He cursed in Romani, causing Charlie to laugh at him. Kate glanced towards Charlie. "What did he say Charlie?"

"He said-

And Thomas lunged at Kate, grabbing her around the waist. She let out a shriek and flung the shoe as she fell backwards into the stream, taking him down with him. Kate came up spluttering as the children started cheering as he kept her pinned under him. Thomas looked for his shoe, which was now floating down the stream.

"One of you get my shoe."

"I'll get it!" Ruby and Charlie screamed as they ran for the shoe.

Thomas looked down into Kate's smiling face and tried to stay angry. "You…witch."

Kate laughed as she splashed water in his face. "I'll buy you a new pair in London."

"That wasn't the bloody point!" she splashed him again and he grabbed her wrists. "Will you stop doing that?"

"Or what?" the words popped out of her mouth before she could stop them.

"I'm going to kiss you until you can longer breathe," Kate stared at him as he clasped her neck, his thumb brushing her cheek as he spoke with a low, threatening voice. "regardless of the children being here." She could only stare up at him, temporarily paralyzed for a moment. "Understood?"

She nodded. "Yes." His blood started to pound in his veins and he contemplated steeling a kiss from her right now. "Uhh, you should get off me." she stated as she shifted uncomfortably underneath him. she was probably sensing his thoughts now.

"Why?" her mouth dropped open at the blatantly mischievous tone in his voice.

"I need to fix my dress."

He glanced down at her legs and his brow arched appreciatively a he realized her skirt was resting atop her knees. "So, you do have legs under all this material."

"Thomas….what is your middle name?"

"Michael."

"Thomas Michael Shelby," she gasped as he sat up and grasped a hold of her ankle. His actions caused her to sit upright. "get your hand off me."

"Or what?" he shot back at her.

Her eyes widened. "The children are here." She hastened to arrange her skirts down around her ankles, but he didn't turn loose of her.

"From where they're standing, it looks as if we're sitting here."

She jumped as his hand moved slowly up her calf towards her knee. "Please."

He shushed her gently as she twitched uneasily. "It's alright." He moved slowly, wanting her to get used to his touch. She inhaled sharply as he touched her knee. He dropped his hand downwards, to caress her calf. Kate's breathing changed, growing shallower, causing him to smile. "Just touching you."

"Got it!" Charlie shouted.

"Good boy." He didn't even bother to break eye contact with Kate as his hand went back to her ankle.

Kate suddenly gave him a shove, causing him to land on his side as she bolted up and raced towards Ruby and Charlie.

"Water fight!" she shrieked, only to let out a scream as Tommy grabbed her by the ankle and she went flying face first into the water. "Oh! You scoundrel!"

Ruby and Charlie ran towards them, with a very Indian sounding war cry. Tommy specifically targeted Kate. With all her screaming's and protestations, Ruby and Charlie joined in splashing him to rescue Kate. After thirty minutes or so of rough play in the water, Ruby announced she was cold.

Thomas glanced up at the sky. "We should be getting back."

"I brought some towels in the picnic basket." Kate held onto his arm as he helped her out of the stream. Her hair, having escaped most of her pins, was plastered to her face, giving her a most comical look. "I'll get them for you and your father will get your shoes. you two stay on the rocks, they should still be warm."

"Whatever made you think to pack towels?" he asked as he helped her pick her way through the grass.

"It's a picnic by the stream." She said innocently. "What could possibly happen?"

He laughed as they reached the picnic basket. She pulled out two towels from the picnic basket. He took a quick glance at the children; they both had their backs to them. he gripped her elbow and pulled her towards him, ducking behind the oak tree.

Kate frowned in confusion. "What are you doing?"

"Answer me this Kate," he inhaled before asking her. "when was the last time you were kissed?"

Her mouth dropped open in surprise at his bold question. "When…Emmett proposed."

"So, almost 12 years ago, then?" she could only nod. He was silent for a moment before stating. "Well, I better make this a good one then."

"What?" That was all Kate got to say to him before his lips touched hers for the first time.

He'd kissed many women before, make no mistake. However, this kiss took him by completely by surprise, nearly paralyzing him at the effect her lips had on him. Her lips tasted like sunshine and water. He felt the innocence in this kiss, the light radiating from inside her broke through the dark clouds inside his heart, chasing the darkness away.

Kate trembled under his advances, but she didn't push him away. He kept his hands on her waist as he drank this moment in with her. Kate, timidly rested her hands on his forearms and to his delight, she leaned in closer to him as the kisses deepened. It was in this moment that he felt for the first time, all this pent up love and passion for this woman, rise up in him and fill his entire being. Had he ever felt this way before? So much warmth and contentment burned inside of him at this moment that he wanted more. God, he craved more of this.

The sound of Charlie and Ruby quarreling forced him to reluctantly break the kiss. Kate was blushing a vibrant pink and her fingers were trembling as she touched her mouth, as if unsure how to process this whole moment between them. it was almost enough to cause him to grab her and kiss her again, but he resisted.

Instead, he leaned down and picked up the towels she'd dropped and handed them to her. "We should get back."

She blinked and stared at them for a moment before taking them. "Yes." She cleared her throat, causing him to smile at her. "Yes. Uhh, grab their shoes."

"Of course." She stepped around the tree and headed back to the creek. "And Kate," she turned towards him, the expression in her eyes were slightly wary. "we should do this more often."

She nodded. "Yes, the picnic was rather fun." He laughed as she started babbling. "But give me a bit more of a warning next time."

"Yes, we should do that too."

Kate frowned, mulling over his words for a moment before gasping in shock. he laughed at her as she shook her head in amusement and walked away from him. he smiled as he watched her trot This kiss told him what he'd suspected that day in the field when he first saw her emerge from the fog like some unearthly spirit.

It had terrified him at first, but he knew that he was looking at his future.

* * *

**IdCam: Kate has many faces. Tommy will find out about her father, but they have a few more stages to go through first. And Kate has got a few more mountains to climb.**

* * *

**Author's Note: I ****convinced Sense'N'Sensibility' to post the book trailer early. Check my profile for the link!**


	13. 13: Sunset

Chapter thirteen: Sunset

* * *

_July 1930_

* * *

Kate yawned and stretched, she had fallen asleep on the porch again. Her notebook fell from her lap and she leaned forward to grab it…when she noticed a pair of black shoes beside her. She jumped up from the porch swing to see that it was Thomas Shelby sitting beside her, calmly smoking a cigarette.

He patted the seat beside him that she had just jumped out of. "Sit back down Kate."

Kate sat back down with a slight scowl as he smirked at her. "I hate you."

"Yeah, I know." He pats her knee, causing her to jump slightly. He smirks at her. "Easy there Kate."

She decided to ignore him, calling him on it would undoubtedly result in him touching her in a different manner. That touch would be far more personal than a pat on the leg. She shifted her position slightly on the porch swing so she could face him. "What are you doing down here? It's late."

"Well, I was going to invite you to dinner, but, you were asleep." He stretches his hand alongside the back of the swing, tugging her into his side. She hesitates a moment before relaxing against his shoulder as he took another puff on his cigarette. "Bit late now."

Kate yawned again. "Yes. What time is it?"

"Eh," he stuck his cigarette back in his mouth so he can read his pocket watch. "7:30." He closes his watch with a snap as he casually to stroke her cheek. "Got here around 6:00."

Kate smiles for a moment, allowing him this liberty. She was slowly growing attached to Thomas and his mannerisms. He often made feeble excuses to show up at her place once a week for the last two months. However, he always brought Charlie and Ruby with him.

This was the first time that he'd actually come over by himself. Kate wondered what was on his mind; especially since it was so late at night. He hadn't kissed her since that afternoon under the tree. Well, not true. He'd kissed her cheek or the corner of her mouth, but not on her lips. He seemed to be waiting for something, but what it was she didn't know.

He turned his head and pressed a kiss to the top of her forehead. Kate, really wasn't used to being shown this much affection, so, it was strange to her. Her father told her he loved her often; he just never really showed her that love. Emmet, his parents had raised him to be the perfect gentleman. He never kissed her until they were engaged and even then, the kisses were proper. She'd appreciated it, until now. She hated to admit this, but every time Thomas gave her a peck, it forced her to compare the two men. For her, it almost felt as if Emmet was the boy she loved and she was now learning how a man would actually show his affection towards a woman. If it had been someone other than Thomas, it probably would have been less intimidating. He had a powerful presence that scared her at times, but…it wasn't terrifying.

Kate glanced up at him. "Won't everyone be missing you for dinner?"

He shook his head. "Everyone's gone. That's why I came to invite you."

She frowned. "Where is everybody?"

"Polly and Arthur took the kids to a fair. They'll be back the day after tomorrow." She hesitated, considering her reputation if one of the servants blabbed that he'd spent a good few hours alone with her. "No one will say anything Kate. Your reputation is still intact."

She laughed. "How do you do that? Guess what I'm thinking."

"I feel it. You sorta stiffen up and at times," he grins. "I swear I can hear your thoughts rolling around in your head."

"Very funny." She straightened up. "Well, since you came to invite me to dinner and wound up watching me nap, I should make you dinner."

"You can cook?"

She nodded. "Yes." She stood up. "Come on, you can give me a hand."

He blinked. "I can't cook."

"You were in the army, so I know you can peel potatoes." She headed inside the house. "And put out your cigarette please."

"You have a problem with me smoking?" he asks as he drops the cigarette into her cup of tea that she never finished.

She smiles. "Just the smell in the cottage. I like the natural smells of the wood, the pine," he steps in the cottage and closes the door behind him. "and the lilac bush in the back is blooming now."

"When'd you get the icebox?" he asks her.

"Ahh, the day after the picnic. I figured with you all stopping by occasionally; I could keep food a bit longer. The well still works, but this is more convenient." Kate grabs an onion from a basket and tosses it to him, which he catches with one hand as he places her cup of tea in the kettle. "Peel and chop that please."

"You're putting this in mashed potatoes?" he asked as he removes his coat and drapes it on the edge of a nearby chair.

"No." she laughs as she pulls out some pork and tortillas. "I'm making tacos."

He stopped mid peel and studied her carefully. "What the Hell are tacos?"

Kate laughed. "A traditional Mexican dish. It's fast and simple."

"You know how to cook Mexican food?"

"My mother taught me a few of her favorites, like chili con carne, or aroz con pollo." He looked at the tortillas curiously. "Those are tortillas, I made them from scratch. It's very therapeutic for me to make tortillas, when I'm stressed." She glanced at him. "Would you like some tea? Coffee?"

"Got anything stronger?"

She shakes her head. "No. as you know…I have those occasional days and I prefer to face them without alcohol."

"In that case, I'll take the coffee."

Kate set the kettle on to start boiling as they worked in compatible silence. Thomas finished chopping his onion before she finished chopping the pork, so he stood there watching her as she worked. She smiled slightly, not minding the feeling of his eyes on her. As she added a handful of his onions, he stepped closer to her.

She tried not to show that his closeness unnerved her as he she reached for the spices. He peered over her shoulder as she reached for the paprika, cumin and chili powder. She twitched as he placed a hand on her hip. "I'm not familiar with those spices." His voice was right by her ear, tempting her to almost look at him, but she didn't dare risk it, knowing he'd be too close.

"I picked them up in Arizona." She cleared her throat. "You guys probably never had spicy food."

He could feel him shaking his head as he shifted a little closer to her. "Not really."

"I'll," she swallowed hard after clearing her throat. "make it mild for you."

"Smells good."

"Thank you." she croaked out as she tried to concentrate on the task at hand. However, his hand kept creeping from her hip to her waist was distracting her. She let out gasp as he pressed her against him, her stomach jumped up in her throat.

"Breathe," she inhaled and exhaled. However, the feeling wasn't dissipating much. "that's it." he wrapped his second arm around her waist in a cradle and she understood what he was doing. He chuckled as he felt her relax. "Didn't your father hold your mother like this?"

"They might have in Mexico, but that changed when they came to England. Mother, because of her heritage, was never truly accepted. No matter how much my father tried." She chuckled. "They could fight with a passion, screaming one moment and then kissing each other in the next." He rested his chin on her collarbone. "I never understood that."

He laughed lightly. "Really? The lady who writes romance novels, doesn't understand passionate couples?"

"I may not understand the mentally behind a novel, besides, it's good paying rubbish."

"How'd you ever get your…well paying rubbish to be bought?"

"It was a way to relieve stress, the sound of the keys was relaxing. A friend of mine took a story I lent her to a publisher. He loved it and he wanted more stories. When Emmet passed, he let me stay in his villa in Italy for some time to recover."

"Kind of him." he was silent for a moment. "How old was he?"

Kate laughed. "As old as my grandfather, he didn't want anything." He let out a soft snort. He then buried a kiss in her neck, causing her to jump, but his grip didn't allow for her to move anywhere. "What about your parents?" his mouth stilled on her neck and his grip tightened. She knew it was a touchy subject, but it halted his advances for a moment. "He hold her like this."

"Dunno." He continued trailing kisses on her neck. "He was only really around to knock her up, then leave again."

"Sorry."

"Don't be. Only good thing to come of him, was him dying."

She exhaled deeply as she set her hand atop of his. "I wish I could be like you."

"How so?"

"Able to turn off my feelings about people I should be obligated to care about." She exhaled. "I may have separated from my father and brother, but I do miss them and visit them once in a while…in spite of all the grief in the past."

"Be the way you are Kate." He moved his hand slowly up her waist, causing her to grip his fingers tightly as he neared her breast.

"Thomas."

"Shh," he ghosted his hand up towards her side, skating dangerously close to her breast, but he didn't touch her there. Once his hand rested on her shoulder, she exhaled deeply until he turned her around to face him. Kate felt the blood rise to her cheeks as he studied her intensely. Those penetrating cold blue eyes seem to hold her pinned in place. "just gonna kiss you…if you don't mind."

Kate said nothing and closed her eyes as he kissed her. The heat jumped into her faces as their lips touched. She wasn't used to these types of kisses, kisses that made her heart still in her chest. His hands stayed on her waist and shoulder, but as the kiss grew deeper and more passionate, his hands moved as he pressed her closer to him. Her nervous stomach tied itself into a huge knot as he aligned his hips opposite hers.

As his lips travelled from the mouth to the side of her neck, Kate let out a moan as she released all the pent up air inside her. She hadn't even noticed she'd been holding her breath! His hand moved from her shoulder into her hair, which she'd forgotten to pin up this morning. She inhaled deeply as she grasped onto his muscular forearms for support. These sensations were new and she liked them, in spite of that little bit of fear which was warning her that this needed to stop now before it went too far.

Thomas's lips slowly travelled back up her neck to her mouth. His hands encouragingly guided her hands towards his shoulders. Kate gripped his shoulders tightly as his lips touched hers again. She shuddered the kisses grew deeper and more passionate.

Kate's hands limply dropped from his shoulders to his waist as he locked an arm around her waist, pressing her against the counter. She let out a moan, then a yelp when Thomas dared to move his hips forward against hers. Her mind screamed that this was wrong and she needed to get away from him before he compromised her further. However, Kate was curious, she'd never felt or know anything this powerful in her life. She wanted more of it.

Kate inhaled sharply, her nose detected the scent of burning meat, causing her to wrench away from him. Her elbow managed to hit him hard in the ribs, causing him to let out a grunt of pain as she pushed past him to grab the skillet. She grabbed the skillet handle, which was hot and resulted in burning her hand. "Ouch!"

"Here," he grabbed a hold of handle with the rag. "I got this."

"I can't believe I burned our dinner."

"It happens Kate." He steps towards her and looks at her hand. "How's the hand?"

"It's alright. I'm sorry, I ruined our dinner and I hit you too, I am so sorry," he began shaking his head. "I know, you're trying to be romantic-

"Kate-

"And you're so patient with me while I'm rebuffing your advances. I know, you're more experienced than I am, and I'm so naive-

"Kate," he gripped her shoulders. "it's alright."

She exhaled raggedly. "You must be very frustrated with me."

He chuckled. "Kate, you have no idea how tempting you are to a man like me." she rolled her eyes in disbelief. "I'm serious. I'm assuming your mother told you that a man enjoys a good chase." She nods. "Well, this is more fun. A slow seduction," he trailed his hand down her cheek. "is always entertaining."

"I'm not a game," she whispered. "Thomas Shelby."

"No, you're not." His eyes roved over her face as he trails a finger down her cheek. "I am going to remember this moment."

"Why on earth would you remember a moment like this?"

"Because," he smiled. "you look so damn cute when you're frazzled, Kate." He kissed her lightly on the nose before smiling charmingly at her. "Come on; let's check on your dinner. I'm sure many a dinner has been burned in such a manner throughout history."

Kate laughed and shook her head. "You scoundrel."

* * *

**Velairis: I will admit, it was one of my better written scenes.**

**Idcam: Yes, she's a little skittish, but I think he's making progress with her.**


	14. 14: Constellation of the heart

Chapter Fourteen: Constellation of the heart

* * *

_August 1930,_

* * *

"Sir?" Tommy turned towards his butler. "There's a young woman at the door."

"Name?"

"She didn't leave it. She said she had something for you."

Tommy stood up and reached for his jacket. "Well, I guess I better see what she wants." He looked at Charlie, who was staring at him with big eyes. "I'll be back in a moment."

He nodded understandingly. It was Charlie's birthday today. He'd promised no business, but this was rather curious. He went to the entrance and there stood Kate. His brow arched in surprise. "Kate, what are you doing here?"

"Well," she smiled as her box barked at him. "I heard it was Charlie's birthday and he told me what he wanted, with your permission, of course."

"Come on in." he reached for her arm.

"I couldn't." she shook her head. "It's a family event."

"Is that why you didn't give your name to the butler?"

She nodded. "I just wanted to slip in and out."

"Charlie!" Tommy called loudly. "Kate's here for you!"

"I shouldn't be here." She hissed quietly.

"To them, you're part of the family." To prove his point Charlie and Ruby both ran around the corner. "You've got a visitor."

Kate knelt down carefully with the box. "Happy birthday Charlie."

"Thank you!" he reached for the box, which had air holes in it. "Can I open it?"

Thomas nodded as Kate stood up. "Of course." Ruby attached herself onto Kate's leg, causing her lean sideways and give her a quick embrace. He reached for her hand and squeezed it.

"A puppy!" ruby turned loose of Kate and went straight to the box. He chuckled as ruby and Charlie oohed and aaahd over the dog. "He's beautiful!"

"He is actually a she." Kate corrected him gently. Charlie pouted slightly. "I know, but she was the last rough collie in London. I'm sure you'll love her just the same."

"I do." Charlie said as he held the fuzzy puppy close to him. Thomas grinned at Charlie's expression as ruby ruffled her hair. "Thank you Kate. How'd you know I wanted a puppy?"

"Oh, a little red bird told me."

Thomas chuckled at Charlie's expression. "I don't understand."

"It's ok." Kate stepped back. "I should be going. It's late."

Thomas gripped her arm, causing her to jolt. "Stop trying to run away Kate. The night is young for you Kate, but these two, should be running along."

"Can I take her upstairs with me?" Charlie asked.

Thomas hesitated before stating. "Just for tonight. We'll settle her in the barn first thing tomorrow. Say goodnight to Kate."

Charlie nodded. "Thank you Kate and goodnight."

"Goodnight Charlie and goodnight ruby."

Ruby yawned. "Goodnight Kate."

"I'll be up to say goodnight later." Thomas stated as he pulled Kate into his side as the children hurried upstairs. He chuckled as he whispered in her ear. "Am I to guess that the red bird that told you was ruby?"

"Why Mr. Shelby," Kate said teasingly. "Are you expecting me to give up a confident source?"

"Possibly." His hand trailed down her back to her hip, which he smacked, causing her to yelp and spin around in surprise. "I may have to get the information out of you."

"You…are a devil." Kate hissed at him as she rubbed her hip.

"Kate?" she glanced up as Arthur approached them. "Nice to see you again."

"A pleasure Arthur." She said as he gave her a quick hug. "We'll all have to go out dancing again, that was fun."

Arthur chuckled. "Nah, you're Tommy's girl now. You're off-limits."

Kate glanced at him, her eyes dancing with mischief. "Is that so?"

"To a degree." He stated.

"Well, maybe he'll make an exception for you Arthur, on occasion."

"Well, well," Kate turned towards Polly's voice and she smiled at her. A smile Polly didn't reciprocate. Michael and Gina approached, causing him to stiffen. He didn't trust those two and the last thing he wanted was them doing was adopting Polly's suspicious nature and digging into Kate's past.

True, he was curious about it, but he'd figured that Kate would come clean to him about the whole thing. She was growing more trusting in him and she'd let a few confidences slip, so one day, they'd maybe talk about the past. He had a few men inquiring into Emmet's murder, but no such luck yet. Michael, had been exceptionally curious in Tommy's business affairs, so the less they knew about Kate, the better.

"This is Polly's son, Michael Gray and his wife Gina, who were just leaving." Judging from the look on Polly, Michael and Gina's faces, they weren't happy to be leaving this early. But he'd had enough of them for tonight, Michael in particular. He was only allowed in for tonight for Polly's sake, but his smug face was wearing on his nerves.

Kate bit her lip and dipped her head in acknowledgement. "A pleasure to meet you." she was uneasy, he could feel that, but she wore it well.

"Same." Gina stepped towards her as she extended her hand. "And you are?"

Kate opened her mouth at the same moment Tommy put his hand on her shoulder, causing her to still a moment. "Katherine carter." He wanted to make it clear to those two that she was under his protection and not to go prodding.

"You look familiar." Michael stated.

"Michael." Thomas growled.

Kate placed a hand on his arm, signaling to him that he needed to calm down. "Yes, it was last year. You nearly knocked me down the front stairs in your haste to get away from Thomas during an argument."

"Yeah," he said slowly. "I'm sure that's where."

"Goodbye Michael." Thomas stated firmly.

Michael shot him a look, as if after sizing him up, he didn't really care to abide by the veiled threat. At least, until Arthur stepped next to him. He smiled at Kate, that fish oil salesman smile. "Perhaps another time." Kate didn't respond, she only smiled at him.

In fact, he could have sworn Kate was holding her breath until Michael and Gina were out of the house. The moment the door shut, she exhaled and he rubbed her shoulder. "Breathe." He ordered.

"I'm fine." Kate cleared her throat. "Are all birthday parties at your house this tense?"

"Just at the end." He exhales deeply. ""Care to join me for a nightcap?"

Kate nodded. "Yes, that would be lovely."

"It's getting late." Polly stated with a pointed look. "People will talk."

"Not if they know what's good for them." he stated with an equal pointed look. He knew exactly what she was suggesting.

"Well," she said with a cocked brow. "at least leave the door to the library open."

"I'm not about to ravish Kate on the couch." Kate blanched and dropped her handbag in shock that he'd said such a thing to Polly. "See?" he stated as he picked up her bag. "Kate isn't that type of woman."

"Then don't implicate her as if she is!" she states firmly.

"My business," he growled. "I've told you to stop meddling."

"I should go." She reached for her bag, which he wouldn't release. "I really only came to give Charlie his present."

"You're not going anywhere."

She arched a brow. "I'm not?"

"No." he stated as he succeeded in pulling her purse from her grasp. "Not until we've had that nightcap."

"I don't want to intrude."

"Kate, you're not intruding. You're welcome here," he shot Polly a strict look. "it's my house."

Polly said nothing, she just sniffed and turned aside to walk away. He couldn't understand why Polly had such a distrust of Kate. Was it possible that she blame Kate for Lizzie's suicide? That struck a chord with him. He hadn't thought about Lizzie for a while. Could it be that she'd actually seen the chemistry between him and Kate before they had?

"I need some fresh air." Kate whispered as she backs away towards the door.

"Good idea." He holds the door open for her and they exit. "How about a turn around the garden?"

"That does sound nice." She pauses on the porch for him as he pulls his coat on. "It is a clear night, with a full moon."

"They say that a full moon causes people to act strangely."

"So I've heard."

"But I don't think that's what ails Polly." She states as he takes he arm to help her down the stairs. "She doesn't like me, does she?"

He shook his head. "No. she doesn't trust you."

"What did I do?" she asked. "Did I do something to offend her?"

"You bought her that necklace."

Kate blinked and stared at him. "That's it? I bought her a necklace? You can't be serious."

He chuckled. "I am."

"Did she not like it? I was only-

He nods. "I know. You were being kind and thoughtful. Polly is just very suspicious of people, especially women. She threatened Grace with a gun, so, you're getting off pretty easy."

"Only at your expense, you two are fighting." She said quietly. "I don't want to cause trouble."

"We're a family," they paused at the fountain. "it's normal to have discord. It's not your fault."

She exhaled as she sat down on the edge. "I know but, I can still feel bad."

"No." he sat down beside her. "I won't allow that." he reached for her hand and squeezed it. "The Shelby family is an unharmonious one, you're like something that no one's ever seen before."

She bit her lip. "Is there anything I can do?" he shakes his head. "Surely, there must be something I can do to make this easier."

"Kate, you and I are in a relationship." at those words, her heart soared the sky at those words. "What happens between us…it doesn't concern them."

Kate glanced upward towards the house. Ruby and Charlie were peering out of the window. She chuckled. "What about your two peeping Tom's upstairs?"

He glanced upwards and exhaled. "Those two." She waved at them as Thomas shouted up to them. "Bedtime you two!"

"Goodnight!" Kate called. "Sleep well!"

"Goodnight!" they sheepishly waved back.

She chuckled and leaned back to look up at the sky. "They're really sweet children though."

"Eh, I suspect they're saving up for their teen years."

Kate laughs and pats his knee. "Your personality going to come back and haunt you in a few years?"

"That and their mothers."

Kate smiles sadly. "The past always finds a way to haunt us."

He nods in agreement. He watches her out of the corner of his eye. This seems to be one of her nights, she seems a little depressed. She'd also agreed to have a drink with him, something she'd never done before. Her thoughts were also a million miles away.

"One of those nights?" he inquired.

She exhales. "Yes." She sighs and runs a hand through her hair. "Today's the day Emmett died."

"I see."

"It's not as rough as it normally is but," she sighs. "I will admit, you've provided me with some conflicting emotions have to reconcile with."

"You know Kate," he reached for her hand and squeezed it. "We've skirted around one issue that's very important to us."

Kate bit her lip and looked at him. "You want to know about Emmet, don't you?"

"Yes."

She gazed upwards at the night sky. She was silent for a moment before stating. "Emmet is dear to my heart." He nodded in understanding. She closes her eyes for a moment. "If I tell you about him, would you tell me about Grace?"

He hesitated for a moment, pondering this question. Knowing it would mean he'd have to open himself up and talk about the demons that plagued him. He wasn't sure if he was ready to talk about her yet. He was silent as he pondered her question. She already knew enough about Lizzie, but Kate, was the woman he'd really loved. Kate…she was the one who had him on the road to loving again.

"If you expect me to open up," she said patiently. "you need to open up just a little with me."

"I know." he cleared his throat. "I understand that."

She sighed and gripped his hand. "Obviously, not here and now. Neither of us is ready to share but…I feel that I'm getting close."

"Same." He cleared his throat. "When the time comes, I'll tell you anything you want to know about her."

"Alright. That's enough for me." She glanced at the house again and he sees Polly watching them from the front door. Kate shifted and stood up. "I should go."

"Fine." he stood up with her, but he didn't let her pass. She blinked as he stepped in front her and lightly ran a finger down her cheek. "I'll let you go in a moment."

"Polly's watching." She said quietly.

"So?" he leaned forward to kiss her. "You're mine."

Kate trembled, but didn't reciprocate this kiss as she'd been doing during their previous kisses. It could be because Polly was watching him, or today was the date Emmett had been murdered. For either reason, he didn't press her. He kept the kiss brief and light, his reward, was a smile on her face when he broke the kiss.

She cleared her throat as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "You and Arthur should come by tomorrow. Your Christmas present finally arrived."

His brow arched. "And why do I need Arthur?"

"Because, it's very heavy." She smiled. "I'd suggest bringing the car as well so you don't have to lug the crate."

"It's not alive is it?" Kate laughed and moved towards the garden exit. "You bought me a horse or something?"

"No, it's not alive. My instincts tell me that it's something that you and Arthur would appreciate."

"So, you got it for Arthur too?" he asked with a grin. "Should I be worried?"

"Nonsense. Remember, I bought this before I even knew Arthur."

"Fair point." He leaned forward and kissed her cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow Kate, sleep well."

"You too." She glanced up at the house again. "You should head in. ruby and Charlie will be waiting for you."

He smiles but doesn't say anything as Kate turns to walk away. One thing to come of the night was he finally had the date of Emmett dying. None of his digging had turned up the banns in the newspaper, but the newspaper was sure to report a killing at a wedding day.

* * *

**Idcam: You were correct! Any guesses to the present?  
**

**Velairis: Kate's a slow mover, but...we shall see come chapter 16 or 17.**


	15. 15: Delius: Song of Summer

Chapter fifteen: Delius: Song of Summer

* * *

"So where the fu," Kate leaned over and dropped her notebook on Arthur's head. "ouch! Is she?"

Thomas started swearing in Romani again, causing her to grin. "I'm on the roof gentlemen."

"Damn it Kate." Thomas stated angrily. "You know I hate it when you go up there."

"I'm sorry." She stood up and walked to the side of the house. "The ladder fell over, so, could you right it so I could get down? Please?" Thomas and Arthur both walked to the side of the house to fix the ladder. She smiled down at them pleasantly while they held the ladder in place. "Avert your eyes please."

"How'd you knock the ladder down Kate?" Thomas demanded as he averted

"I didn't do it intentionally. A hawk was chasing a crow; they both came swooping at my face. I tripped over the final rung and here I am."

"You're lucky you didn't fall." She chuckled as she felt Thomas's arms around her waist as he swooped her back to the ground. "I should install a telephone on the roof, in case you get stuck there."

"Cute, but impractical. Now, put me down." He did so with reluctance. She smoothed her skirt back down around her. "Your present is on the porch in the crate."

Thomas frowned. "What could it be?"

"Hopefully whiskey." Arthur commented.

Kate laughed. "That wouldn't be much of a present. That's _all _you men drink."

"Whiskey is good proofing water." Thomas stated as he followed her, his hands in his pockets. "It tells you who's real and who isn't."

"Interesting theory. I'll have to try it sometime, but I'm really more of a champagne girl. Here you go." She hands him the hammer. "Sorry, I don't have a crowbar."

"No worries." He takes the hammer and begins to pry the board free. Kate arches a brow, impressed with his masculine prowess. Truth to be told, his coat looked like it was straining to contain his muscles. Thomas looked good in a suit, but she thought he looked more at tune with nature with his shirt and vest, like he'd worn at the picnic.

Kate studied the two men. They appeared to be dressed up for trouble. They both were carrying guns on them and their guns were polished. Something was going to go down today and she hoped they'd come back safely. Truth to be told, she wasn't sure if she could bear to lose another man in her life. Thomas had put her together when she'd broken. So, who'd put her back together if something happened to him?

"Here we go." Thomas's voice jars her back from her depressing thoughts. He picks up the bottle and frowns. "Tequila, is it?"

"Yes, it's made from agave pineapples. Agave is a type of cactus." She explains as she sits down on the porch railing. "I ordered a dozen for you."

Arthur choked. "Bloody hell. That's one heck of a Christmas present."

"There's a depression in America, I tried to help out whoever I came across. I knew the trader well, he assured me I'd get the best quality he had on stock. They're 3 years old, so they're sublime and their alcohol content is 15% stronger than vodka."

Thomas pulled out a bottle and studied it. "Interesting gift Kate. What made you think of it?"

"Well, I did observe the whiskey in the library. She smiled. "Since you can't find tequila in England, I thought it would be a good gift. It is strong, but the two of you seem like men who can handle their liquor."

"I really like her Tom. Never had a gal buy alcohol of this quality before." Arthur stated as he reached for a bottle and Thomas shot him a glower. "What? I'm just looking at it."

"It's not bubbly, so it can be opened, with Thomas's permission of course. It holds just like whiskey." She folded her hands. "Shall I bring some glasses for you gentlemen to sample it?"

Thomas shakes his head. "No thanks Kate, I've got some business to attend to."

She nods her head in understanding. "Stay safe you two."

He pauses. "What makes you think it's that kind of business?"

"You're both carrying your guns." She states quietly. "I can kind of sense when these types of things are going down. It's not unfamiliar to me. So, be careful."

He nods. "Alright." He steps a little closer to her. "Wanna go to the pictures tomorrow night?"

"I might. What's playing?"

"I hear 'Common Clay' is pretty good."

Kate's brow arched. "I saw the play by Cleaves Kinkead. It was a very good play, it closed way too early."

"I'll take this to the car," Arthur states, as he lifts the crate of tequila. "so you can just bloody kiss her in private."

"I'll bloody kiss her tomorrow night!" Thomas snapped back at Arthur, causing her to laugh in embarrassment. "So, the movie sound alright?"

She laughs lightly in embarrassment. "Yes, it does." Kate stands up from the rail to planted a kiss on his cheek. "What time should I be ready?"

He smiled broadly at her. "Five."

"Works for me." He's still smiling at her, prompting her to ask. "What did I do?"

"Nothing."

"You're grinning like the cat that got a whole jar of cream. Come on, what is it?"

"I'm smiling," he leaned forward so only she could hear. "because…that's the first time, you decided to kiss me on your own."

She blushed and gave him a friendly shove. "Go on with you. I'll see you later." He laughs at her as he turns to walk down the steps. "Oh!" he pivots on his heel back towards her, his military past peeping through. "Before I forget, I'll be spending a week in London, come September."

"Why?" he asks.

"Business with my editor." Kate laughed. "You're very curious."

"I'm like a chess player. Like to know where everyone is." he steps a little closer. "Will your writing business really take that long?"

"No. I'm going to check in on my father and brother. Possibly even have dinner with them for a day or two." he was silent for a long time, prompting her to state as she sat back down on the railing. "Say something. You're holding something back from me, I can feel it."

"Kate," he steps towards her, his hand on the rail above her head. "I don't know what they did to you….but you should stay away from them. They're bad luck."

She smiles at him. "Life's too short to harbor such feelings. I want to try and…maybe one day, we'll be family again." He seemed to want to say more, but didn't. He exhaled as he stepped forward and hugged her. She frowned and returned his hug

"Just be careful Kate." He stated as he pulled away. "You were vulnerable yesterday. Just make sure you're strong enough to handle visiting them."

She nods. "I'm sure I can handle a visit. Thank you." she rubs his arm. "Arthur's waiting, you should go. Stay safe."

"Yeah."

As he hurries down the stairs, Kate says. "You're really just going to kiss me until tomorrow night at the show?" He turns and towards her as he backs away from her. "You're not gonna take a kiss for luck?"

"Kate, you're falling right into my plan." She frowns. "To make you crave more." Kate grabs her shoe and throws it at him. Which, he catches and throws back at her. "I'll see you tomorrow!"

She shakes her head as she mutters. "Thomas Michael Shelby, you're a scoundrel and how the hell did I ever wind up going out with you?"

* * *

**Velairis: I actually started this story last year. I typed over 30,000 words before publishing it here. So, I've got most of the story done. I jut touch it up here and there.**

**Idcam: Lol, you got really close with the present! Thomas Shelby is a very difficult man to buy Christmas presents for!**


	16. 16: Nocturn

Chapter sixteen: Nocturn

* * *

_September 1930_

* * *

The thump at the hotel door caused her groan in aggravation. "Go away Anton!" she shouted. She'd had enough for one day and if she didn't watch it, she was going to order a bottle of champagne and drink the whole bottle straight down.

"Kate?" she spun around at the sound of Thomas's voice. Her heart leapt up in her chest and she wiped her eyes as she advanced towards the door. "It's me, Thomas."

She unlocked the door and smiled at the welcoming sight he made. "I'm sorry, please, please come in Thomas."

"Are you alright?" he inquires as he steps into the room. She nods, but he reaches out to stroke under her eye. "You're crying."

She shakes her head. "I was but, I'm not anymore."

"Who made you cry?" he asked, well, more like demanded. Kate could practically see him mentally ripping apart her father. "Anything I can do?"

"Not really." She exhales. "I had a fight with my father. Then, I had another quarrel with my brother and I actually threw my wine at the fireplace before heading back here. I was staying with them at first, but, I packed up and left tonight."

"Good for you." he guides her to the couch. "You're learning to stick up for yourself."

"I just feel so guilty."

"Well don't." He sits down on the couch, pulling her down beside him. "What was the fight about?"

She exhaled. "Well, you to be honest."

He takes off his cap and sets it on the coffee table. "I'm flattered you'd get into a fight over me for your family."

"I didn't tell them your name; I told them I was seeing someone. They wanted more details and I said I wasn't going to tell them your name unless we were engaged or something." She notes he exhales deeply, causing her to wonder if he'd thought that far ahead. "My family," she shuddered. "God. Not that you couldn't handle yourself, but I don't trust them. There's also your family, especially Ruby and Charlie to think about. Anyways, my father flew into a rage, saying I was a horrible, disrespectful daughter and a ton of other similar things." She rubbed her eyes. "My brother then threatened to harm my editor if I didn't give up a name. At that point, the fight broke out between us and it ended with me leaving. My brother followed, grabbed me and I punched him in the nose." Thomas sat back in his chair and stared at her in surprise. "I then told an officer he was following me, and then I got into a taxi and escaped. I thought he'd managed to follow me here somehow when you knocked."

"I'll call a man or two and have them keep an eye on your editor for a few days. Will that make you feel better?" she nods as he stands up. "Right, where's the phone?"

"Over there." she points towards the table near her bedroom. She stands up and heads to the bathroom. "I'll be back in a moment."

"Take your time."

She nods as she heads into the bathroom. She glances at her reflection in the mirror and cringes. Her hair is in a frazzled mess, her eyes are red and her face is pale. She sighs as she washes her face first and pats it dry. She reaches for the pink lipstick and applies it to her lips. She then pinches her cheeks,

"Vanilla ice cream, and a bottle of champagne." Thomas nods. "Charge my account." He then hangs the receiver back on the hook before turning to her. "It's too late for dinner, so, I ordered dessert though."

"I declare, you're almost the perfect man." she says as she sinks back onto the couch.

He chuckles. "Almost Kate?" he steps towards the couch, his hands in his pockets. "Where do I fall short?"

"Your business on the side." He sits on the arm on the couch. "But, you know enough about my past to understand that."

"Does it bother you?"

"A little, I do worry, but I'm not asking you to give it up. At this moment, with my editor being threatened, it does come in handy." She exhales and rubs her arms. "Is it me, or it cold here?"

"A little."

She stands up. "I'll start a fire."

"Sit down Kate." He orders as he heads to the fire. "You've had a tough day; so, let someone else take care of you for a change."

Kate laughs as she flops back on the couch. "I've been on my own for almost too long. A creature of solitude." All was silent while Thomas made up the fire. She was silent for a moment, then, she just felt compelled to speak. "I was 12 when I first met Emmett." Thomas stilled and turned towards her. "He was coming around the corner at the same moment I ran around. Even though he was 15 and almost a foot taller than me, I still knocked him down." Thomas lit the fire and she smiled as she settled into the corner of the couch. "He was so sweet and kind that, I think I fell in love with him the moments our hands touched when I passed him his glasses. I made excuses to pop by his parent's bakery for years. He didn't really see me in a romantic light until I turned 16. Then, we started courting each other."

"How'd your father like that?"

"Obviously, he didn't, but my mother approved and he allowed it. Stating it wouldn't last, especially with the war." She smiled sadly. "We wrote each other twice a week. I numbered each letter and kept a copy in case one got lost in the mail." She glanced towards him; his face wore a deep understanding expression on it. "I should mention again that he was German." Thomas's face didn't show any contempt. "When I got dismissed, I found him working himself to death at the hospital. Even though he was crippled, he didn't let that stop him. When two soldiers beat him up in the hospital, I insisted that he leave." She bit her lip. "It wasn't easy; people can be cruel during a war. I had to demand my father place protection on him and his family until the war ended."

"When did he propose?"

"A few months before the war ended. He was trying to get me to break up with him." she smiled as she inhaled. "I told him I loved him and wouldn't stop loving him." she chuckled. "He said, "In that case, I better marry you." to which, I informed him that he better. We decided to get married that week."

"Why the rush?"

She shook her head. "I wanted to be his wife. With a war on, a large wedding wasn't practical." She blinked back the tears. "Someone shot him…on our wedding day." She inhaled sharply and wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." He said quietly as he reached for her hand and squeezed it comfortingly. "That's a piece of Hell you had to go through Kate."

"I didn't even get a good look at the man who shot him. Nobody did. My own father refused to look into the whole thing, saying it was better to leave things as they were. Not even my mother could convince him."

At that moment, someone banged on the door and he groaned. "I'll get that."

Kate nodded and wiped her eyes, inhaling as she tried to get composed again. It felt good to talk to someone; she hadn't had anyone to confide to in years. He knew and he understood it. She was glad for that. She hadn't had anyone understand her in a long time.

* * *

**Idcam: She's comfortable enough to be a bit more open with him as well. Let's see if he's as open with her. **


	17. 17:Heads, we're dancing

Chapter seventeen: Heads, we're dancing

* * *

"Promise me," Kate says as she prepares to take a swallow from her 2nd glass of champagne. "that you won't take advantage of me, if I get drunk."

Thomas laughs as she takes a huge swallow. "I give you my word Kate."

He eyes her as she sets down her glass and reaches for the brownie. She cuts the scoop of ice cream, takes half and places it on top. He smiles, such an American thing for her to do. She takes a bite of the brownie and ice cream together. "Needs chocolate chunks in it."

"Why?"

She shrugs. "Just does. A girl likes extra chocolate during a stressful day." She cleared her throat. "You never said what you were doing in London, not that I wasn't pleased to see you."

"Some more business that you don't want to know about."

"Thank you very much for being so considerate to pop in. how'd you know where I was?" she leans forward. "Do you have you men watching me?"

"Possibly." He smiles at her expression for a moment before sobering. Kate had been open with him, now; he thought he'd try to be honest with her. "The first time I met Grace," Kate's head shoots up; her wide eyes tattle that she wasn't expecting him to open up. She sets her dessert aside and reaches for her glass of champagne. "She was working in my pub, the Garrison. I asked her for a bottle of rum, and then inquired if she was a whore." Kate chokes on the champagne in surprise. He smiled faintly. "I also said if she wasn't, she was in the wrong place."

"How on earth did you persuade her to marry you?" Kate asked.

"Oh believe me, I can be very persuasive." He took a drink and paused for a moment. "She was working with a police inspector, hell bent on bringing me down."

"She fell in love with you?"

"Yeah." He nodded. "She wanted me to go New York with her, start afresh. I couldn't leave everyone here, even though I did love her. She'd also lied to me. Therefore, I tossed a coin and she lost. Two years later, I find out that she's back in London, married to a rich banker. I don't know but…I just called her and she returned my call. We went out to dinner that night. I took her to meet Charlie Chaplin. We slept together and she got pregnant with Charlie." Kate smiles softly, deriving a conclusion. "She told her husband the truth and he hung himself"

He looked to her, as if expecting her to judge him. However, she couldn't judge. "You two should have never been apart." She said quietly. "We can't help who we love."

"We finally married and we had a few months together." He went silent for a moment as his mind travelled back in time to that day he'd cursed long and hard. "I bought her a sapphire necklace…I didn't know it'd been cursed by a gypsy." He took a drink. "She was shot that night and killed."

She placed a hand on his arm. "I'm sorry."

"She told me once, that she'd break my heart. I'd told her it was already broken. Losing her…made it break all over again." He exhales deeply. "It is good to talk with someone who knows and understands how it is."

She nods. "And with someone who respects the memories." she takes another bite of the brownie. "I told you once, you saved my life that night we first met, but I never told you why."

He nods as he turns towards her. "Yes. What were you doing down in the docks that night Kate?"

She swallows a bit of her brownie. "I was going to kill myself that night." She stated, studying him carefully. He wasn't shocked, he seemed to understand why. "Emmett had been taken from me, and then my mother died leaving me alone. It was almost too much to bear. I had a vial of arsenic in my pocket. I figured the docks would be the last place anyone would look for me."

"But you stepped in, to save a horse." He shakes his head in wonder. "I declare Kate; you think more of others than yourself."

"Which is inevitably, my curse?"

"Maybe." He stated as he took a long sip. "You returned the favor when we met again. My gun went off, prematurely. I probably would have blown my brains out, had you not screamed."

Kate held his gaze. "I suspected I interrupted something of that nature, you looked upset."

"I think," he states as he leans over and strokes her arm. "that I owe you one more favor to balance the scales."

She smiles. "There are no favors when it comes to saving lives. I declare, we're good."

"I'll decide that," he states as he runs his hand towards her face. "after I kiss you."

"Well," she actually leans forward. "kisses are terrible things to waste."

* * *

For the first time, Kate enjoyed Thomas Shelby's touch without shame or bravado. Her heart pounded in her chest as he pulled her closer to him. She moved her hands towards his shoulders, holding onto him tightly as she decided to throw decorum to the wind for moment. she wasn't sure what it was, maybe it was telling him about the past that caused her to be a little bit more receptive to these feelings.

Thomas must have felt her resistance waver, for he swept her off her legs up onto the couch. Her heart pounded in her chest as he eased her into a position where she was lying partly on her back. She inhaled as the kisses became more intense and less gentle. She wasn't sure what had set this in motion, maybe it was the champagne. Her head spun as clung tightly to him, her fingers tightly gripped his coat lapels as he rearranged for her head to be on the armrest of the couch.

He hovered atop of her; his body was not completely touching hers until he was sure that she wasn't resisting him. unconsciously, she parted her legs to allow him to get closer to her. Kate shuddered and bucked her body as she felt him atop of her. she inhaled sharply as he slid his other hand underneath her for support as he began moving against her center. her hands stiffened on his shoulders for a moment as this burst of heat shot through her entire body. She let out a gasp as he pulled her upright so she was straddling him.

Her face flushed as she struggled to breathe, she could feel his breath on her face and his nose pressing against her cheek. He kissed her; her hands gripped his shoulders firmly as he gripped her hips through the fabric of her black velvet skirt. She shuddered as his right hand slowly slid under her skirt, causing her to inhale as she felt his hand on her bare skin. This was so very wrong, but as always with things that were wrong, it felt so good.

His left hand carefully traveled upwards towards her chest until it reached her breast. Kate let out several gasping breaths, only to cry out piteously as he dared to squeeze it through her blouse. The pain was unexpected, causing Kate to jump and break the kiss. He stopped and looked down at her, his breathing heavy. She glanced down at his hand on her breast, crimson flooding her cheeks.

How could she say that she wanted him to stop right now? What woman in their right mind would say such a thing? Thomas, was just…well, he was Thomas. he was a man and all of her senses were screaming that she was a woman. Hell, at this moment, her body was throbbing with a burning desire, which demanded that she throw propriety aside and just let him have his way with her.

She couldn't bear to look him in the eye. He crooked a finger under her chin, lifting her gaze up towards his. she held her breath as he studied her face carefully, before pressing a kiss on her nose, causing her to tremble. "I won't spoil you tonight Kate."

She exhaled in relief, words fleeing her for the moment. How could one man be so attractive and scary at the same time! She needed to get out of this room. it was too small and _he _was too much. Too many feelings were pelting her all at once and she needed to get out before she caved to their obvious wants. If he kissed her again, Kate wasn't sure she'd be able to resist him.

As if he sensed her thoughts, he moved her off his lap. "I better be going."

She inhaled and nodded in agreement. "Yes." When he stood up to reach for his coat, she undid a pearl button at the throat of her blouse. She was smothering to death!

As he pulled on his coat, he looked up at her. "Will I see you again before I go?"

"Of course." She smiled brightly. "I do enjoy your company."

He chuckled. "That's a first."

"It's your presence…I think. There's an eerie calmness about you that I like."

"Now, _that,_" he declared with a laugh. "really is a first. I've gotten intimidating, but not calming." She followed him over to the door. he let himself out and stood in the hallway, his breathing still a little ragged. "So," he cleared his throat. "breakfast tomorrow?"

She nods. "Yes, that sounds delightful."

He studies her, his gaze still deathly intense. "Goodnight Kate."

"Goodnight Thomas." she smiles as she stands in the doorway, her hand on the doorframe.

He studied her for a moment. "You really need to close that door Kate. I won't be responsible for what I'll do to you if you stay here a moment longer."

Her heart rate jumped up in her chest and she made a quick decision. "In that case, goodnight Thomas."

"Goodnight." And with that, she closes the door with an exhale and locks it. she leans her forehead against the door with a sigh.

She was glad that things hadn't gone the way they could have gone moments. She didn't want it to be a one-night thing. She wanted to be more than that to him. she wanted to be his wife and mother to his children.

And the moment that thought crossed her mind, she couldn't deny it anymore. She was in love with Thomas Michael Shelby.

* * *

He needed an ice cold shower. Damn, that woman was going to kill him before she caved in and let him have her. he wanted her with a passion, but he wanted Kate to want it just as bad as he did before he took her. when he had her, he didn't want her to look back on it with any regrets. The alcohol had probably attributed to her lapse in judgment, but still…

He exhaled, when he finally had her under him, she was going to be good. As he began removing his clothes, various thoughts began crossing his mind. Where exactly was he with Kate? Kate should have been married a long time ago. He could just see her, married with two children and heavily pregnant with his third.

_His third? _That fleeting thought stopped him in his tracks. He paused to reflect on his thoughts. With ruby and Charlie, Kate would already have two children. Once he got her pregnant, she'd have the third. Kate was practically already his wife.

Did he love her? had he let go of grace enough to commit completely to her? had she let go of Emmett enough to love him completely? She might, her actions tonight had suggested that. He'd ask her once she returned to his estate.

Tomorrow morning, he'd look at rings first thing before going back home where he'd give the matter far more thought.

* * *

Kate nestled under a blanket on the couch. Her room was too drafty at the moment for her. she smiled as she reflected back on the moment of utter sensuality that had happened between them. then Kate remembered something, her breast had hurt when he'd touched it. With a frown, she touched her left breast, wondering it why it had hurt so when he squeezed it.

There was a walnut sized lump in her breast.

* * *

**Idcam: ate's lost too many people in her life not to exceedingly cautious. But as you can read, her drama isn't over yet.**


	18. 18: Running up that hill

Chapter eighteen: Running up that hill

* * *

Kate's stomach swirled as her mind struggled to comprehend what it was the doctor was actually telling her. "It's really nothing to worry about, the surgery is simple. If the tumor is not cancerous, I can just remove it and you'll be fine."

"And," she croaked. "if it's cancerous?" She was fairly certain she knew what it was he was going to say.

"I will have to remove the entire breast so none of the glandular tissue is left." The doctor's calm tone didn't assure her. "After your body has healed, you can wear some padding and no one will be any wiser that you've had the surgery."

Kate nodded. "I see. When can you schedule the surgery?"

He exhaled and glanced at his calendar. "Next week, Tuesday afternoon?"

She nodded numbly. "Yes. Thank you."

"You're lucky to have caught it this early." The doctor assured her. "We can actually do something about it."

Yet Kate didn't feel so lucky. Thomas had wanted to balance scales and he had.

* * *

Kate rang the doorbell and she gripped her purse tightly as she waited for the door to open. The butler, Mr. Elton opened the door and he smiled. "Good afternoon miss. Kate."

"Good afternoon Elton." She stepped inside the house. "Is, Mr. Shelby in?"

"Yes miss. May I take your coat?"

"No." she shakes her head. "I'm not staying. Just here to pay the rent."

"I see and may I state, it's always nice to have you back on the property? Everyone is much more….chipper, shall we say?"

"Why?" Kate's smiled slightly for the first time since London. "Is he being intolerable again?"

"Horribly." He gestured towards the library. "He's in the library."

"No need to announce me. I'll surprise him."

He nodded. "Very good Miss."

She bit her lip and approached the library door. She hesitated before knocking. How was she going to be able to tell him what was going to happen in a few days? She brought her hand up to knock as she heard two men making a gagging sound on the other side.

"Christ!" that was Arthur. "That stuff has a bite to it!"

"I'll say this," Thomas coughed. "she thinks up unique gifts." She smiles as she taps on the door. "Come in."

Kate pushes the door in. "Hello gentlemen." Both men spin around glasses in hand. She smirks. "Never, drink tequila by the glassful. Shot glasses are the best. I'll have to teach you two how to drink it the proper way."

Thomas chuckles as he hands his glass over to Arthur. "Kate," she smiles as he approaches her and pulls her into an embrace. She closes her eyes and holds onto him tightly, not wanting to let go of this moment. He presses a kiss to her brow. "good to have you back." Those words caused her heart to stop in her chest. She held onto him tightly. His hands stilled on her back. "Are you alright Kate?"

"I will be."

He pulled away so he could study her face. He ran a finger down her cheek. "Did something happen with your family?"

She stepped away. "No, there's something else going on, but first," she cleared her throat as she crossed her hands. "I've come to say goodbye, as I'm leaving for a few weeks." Thomas frowns, as if he's already picked up that something's wrong. She hastened to explain as she reaches into the purse for her rent. "It's just for a few weeks, so, here's the rent."

"Then, why are you leaving?" Thomas asked as he gripped a hold of her shoulders, ignoring the envelope. "When we were in London, you said nothing about leaving, so I know something's happened. What is it?"

"I have to have surgery." He blinked. "I have to stay in London and I should recover in a few weeks."

"What do you need surgery for?" he questioned.

She bites her lower lip, not wanting to say anything in front of Arthur. "It's a bit too personal to confess at the moment."

Thomas nods his head in understanding as he turns towards Arthur. "Arthur, do you mind?"

Arthur nods. "Sure."

Kate bites her lip, knowing the moment Arthur shuts the door that Thomas is going to pull the information out of her. "Ok," Thomas rubs her shoulders assuringly. "I know that having surgery is personal but…will there be any complications?" she bites her lip tighter. "I just want to know…is it dangerous?"

"Thomas," she inhales as she covers her eyes, unable to bear the look in his eyes. "I may have breast cancer."

She can't see his face, but she feels his entire body stiffen. "What?" he gently removes her hand from her eyes. "Kate, how'd you find out?"

Kate let out a bitter laugh. "You again."

He frowns. "I don't understand."

She cleared her throat, but she still croaked out. "The hotel room, you touched me. It hurt and…I found a lump. So…I had my doctor check me the very next day."

"And, how is this all going to go down?"

"Tuesday, I'm…having surgery to remove the tumor, but if it if is cancer, my breast will need to be removed." His expression betrayed nothing. "And…I'll be staying in London until I make a complete recovery."

"Where are you staying?"

She exhaled. "With my father." Thomas cursed. "He's agreed to pay for a private nurse and I get a whole suite to myself."

"I don't want you there." he states.

"I know, but I'll be fine." she states. "He promised that he and my brother will stay away. While we have our differences, he just wants me to recover at home and know that I'm out of danger."

"You could stay here."

She shakes her head. "That's very tempting and kind of you, but, I need to stay near my doctor, in case of infection."

He exhales. "I don't like this Kate, but, you're the nurse. I wish that you'd consider it, but, you know best. How long will you be in London?"

"It depends on how the operation goes. It could be a week if he removes the tumor. Or," she inhales. "it could be 4-6 weeks, if it's cancer."

"I'm here for you Kate." He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "Come back strong and healthy."

Her voice breaks as he pulls her into a hug. "I'm scared."

"I know, I know." he holds onto her tightly. "But you can do this. You survived the war, losing a fiancée, you can beat this."

"I just," he pulls away and studies her face. "I just get so tired of constantly running up hills in my life. I want to cry but…I just can't." she exhales. "I just…I want some peace and silence in my life."

"You'll get it." he assured her. "If things get too stressful over there and you need help, just call me. I'll come and bring you back here. I'll even pay your doctor to have him come down and check on you daily."

"Thank you." she stretched up and brushed a kiss to the corner of his mouth. "That's just what I wanted to hear."

"I mean it Kate." He assured her. 'If you need me, I'll be there."

"I should go." She whispered. "I've got to pack and close up the cottage."

"Right. I'll send a maid down." She begins to shake her head. "Kate, this will be hard enough. I want you to try and take it easy."

She bites her lip. "Where are Ruby and Charlie?"

He exhales. "Out on a walk. Do you want to see them?"

Kate sighs. "I don't know. I do want to say goodbye but…I don't want to see the looks on their faces when I have to tell them I'll be gone for a few weeks. We were in the middle of King Arthur and the knights of the round table."

He chuckles. "The book can wait Kate. Your health cannot, I'll read to them while you're gone." He places his hand on her waist as he guides her out of the library. "If they come back, I'll just tell them you had to go to the hospital."

She shakes her head. "I don't want to worry them."

"Kate, they're attached to you. They're going to worry, whether you like it or not." He opens the door for her to find Elton and Arthur loitering in the hall. "Now," he speaks in a gentler tone as he places a hand on her shoulder. "call me from the hospital, so I know the surgery was a success. Ok?"

Kate smiles faintly at him. "Or else, you'll worry?"

"Damn right I will." He turns her towards him, his expression caring. "It's going to be alright Kate."

She nods. "I know, it's just that I-

She never got to finish that sentence. Thomas pulled her against him and kissed her deeply. Kate clung to him, desperately needing some of his strength in this moment. Kate inhaled, breathing in the smell of whiskey, cigarettes and horse on him, imprinting this second on her memory. In this moment, it was as if he could make this whole crisis looming over her go away.

After a few moments, he broke the kiss. He cleared his throat. "I'll drive you once you're packed up." he clearly wanted to say something else, but, it appears that was all he could say in the moment. Not that she blamed him. There was a lot she wanted to say to him now, but she couldn't find the words.

"I can't allow that." She shakes her head. "You just came back and you've-

"I'm driving you, no arguing." He states. "Now, I'll send a maid down to help you with your packing. I'll also have her call me when you're done so I can pick you up. No taxis." Kate's eyes watered. "What is it?"

"I'm sorry, I'm just, overly emotional, but, it's nice to have someone who cares."

"You're part of the family, Kate." Arthur adds from his position on the porch as he approaches her. "Not sure what's happening, but, we're here."

Thomas turns to Elton. "Kate's going to need help packing up her cottage."

Elton glances towards her in surprise. "Is everything alright?" he inquires.

She nods. "It's…a medical issue. I'll be back in a month, maybe."

"In that case Sir," Elton states. "I shall fetch my daughter and personally supervise it."

Thomas nods. "Thank you. Don't let her work too hard. She needs her strength."

"Of course Sir." Elton turns to her. "And may I say, that I shall keep you in my prayers?" she nods. "This house has been less gloomy since you walked in through its doors."

Kate smiled. "Thank you."

As Elton walked away, Thomas stated. "If you and Arthur weren't attached to him, I'd have him fired."

Kate laughs. "You would not!" he opens the front door for her. She turns and smiles at him. "I guess I'll see you in a few hours?"

"Of course."

As she walked down the porch steps, she heard Arthur mutter. "That there's a good woman. Don't let her go."

Thomas said something in Romani to Arthur. She wasn't sure what it was, but she hoped it was akin to "I don't intend to."

* * *

**Angel029: Oh yes. (Cue Spirit: Stallion of Cimarron moment.)**

**Idcam: Yes, they have progressed. As for it being cancer or not, that will be revealed in the next chapter.  
**

* * *

**Author's note: In case you're all wondering where I got this idea. Last year, I was reading a book about Abigail Adams and I had no idea that her daughter had to have a mastectomy. However, since it was the 1800's, she had to have the operation without any anesthesia. Reportedly, she didn't make a sound or cry, even when they cauterized her wounds with a heated spatula. (The surgery was barbaric.) But, talk about Wonder Woman! **


	19. 19: Waking the witch

Chapter nineteen: Waking the witch

* * *

"Why hasn't she called?" Thomas demanded. "It's been 5 days, it's now October!"

"Just stay calm. No use in getting worked up!" Arthur states in a tone that is excessively calm to suit him. Thomas snorts as he lights another cigarette. "I know you care about her, but just for me, how serious is it?"

Thomas responds by opening the drawer in his desk and pulling out the ring box that has been taunting him all week. Arthur's brow arches in surprise. Thomas nods as Arthur reaches for the box. "Very."

Arthur looks at the emerald and diamond ring inside the box. Kate, probably would have preferred something simpler, but the stones reminded him of her eyes. "Are you sure about this?" Arthur asked. "You haven't even known her a whole year yet."

"Kate, if she says yes, will most likely insist on a long engagement. But yeah," he nods. "I'm sure. It's time to move forward and…I want to do it with her."

"Do you know about her past?" Arthur asks. "You know she has one."

"Kate's been telling me more and more. I know enough." His phone rings and he grabs it quickly, causing Arthur to chuckle at him. "Hello?"

_Thomas? _It's Kate and her voice is a dry croak. _It's me._

"Kate?" he sits on the edge of the desk as he exhales. Arthur stands up and heads out of the library to give him some privacy with Kate. "Thank God, I've been worried."

_Sorry. _She clears her throat, but her voice is shrill as well as scratchy. _They've kept me sedated for 5 days after the surgery._

"It was cancer, wasn't it?"

_Yes. _Kate sniffled. _I-I, they removed my breast. Good thing I'm a recluse…otherwise, I'd be a freak._

"Kate, stop that." he said firmly. "You're alive. That's what matters."

_But-_

"But what?" he asks. "Everyone here has been worried about you. Elton, even dares to ask me once a day if there's any news. Ruby and Charlie refuse to let me read King Arthur to them and they come running each time the phone rings." On cue, they both run into the library, their eyes wide with hope. "You're still beautiful to me Kate." Their eyes lit up. "No matter what you're thinking right now."

_Wait until you see me._

"I am seeing you." he stated firmly. "I've seen inside you and it's a wondrous sight Kate. And Kate," he had to censor himself because remember and Charlie were in the room. "remember that night in the hotel?" She practically stopped breathing. "Nothing's changed for me."

Kate was silent for a moment as she sniffled. _God, you have a way with words at times._

"Because I've been hanging around you." He kneels on the floor and motions for Ruby and Charlie to approach. "Someone wants to say hello."

"Kate?" Ruby asks loudly. "Are you alright?"

"Don't shout." He says gently. "She's just waking up."

_I will be. _He leans close to hear her voice. The three of them are so close their heads are actually touching. _I'm in the hospital._

"We missed you." Charles said. "We didn't start the book without you, we waited."

_That's so sweet. _Kate's voice sounded a little bit more cheerful. But he knows she's trying to keep the pain from her voice for their sake. _How's Lass doing?_

"She's doing well." Charlie said. "She follows me now."

_That's good. And Ruby, have you talked to dad about dancing yet?_

That was news to him. He glanced at Ruby, who shook her head. "No. Can we visit?"

"No." he answered that one first. "Kate needs time to rest and get better."

"But I miss her!" Tears started rolling down Ruby's cheeks.

_Ohh, honey. _Kate started sniffling. _I miss all three of you as well. I'll try to get better soon._

"Kate," Thomas ordered firmly. "stop crying." He heard her hiccupping softly on the other end of the line. "As much as we all love and miss you, we want you back here completely recovered. Stop stressing and try to relax."

_Ok. The nurse says I have to get back in bed, but, I will check in later._

"Right. I'll hope to hear from you tomorrow. Goodbye Kate."

"Goodbye!" Ruby and Charlie called loudly into the phone.

_Goodbye._

The phone clicked and he hung up the receiver with an exhale. It was then he realized that he said he'd loved her. True, he meant it as all of them, but he said 'we' as to include him along with the children. He wondered if she'd noticed, or would the sedation prevent her from remembering?

He turned towards Ruby, who was swabbing her eyes with her chubby fists. "So, what's this about dancing, ruby?"

* * *

Kate spent two more days in the hospital before the doctor cleared her to go home. Her father actually showed up with his car to make sure she got home safely. The ride home was slightly awkward as it was mostly silent. Then, they were five minutes away before he spoke.

"What is the man you're seeing like?" she lifted her head up to glower sleepily at him. "I'm not asking the name, obviously, you want privacy. But I want to know what he's like. What's he do?"

"He's a businessman, in the importing and exporting business." She stated honestly. "He has two children."

"And you sure you love him and not the children?"

Kate nodded. "I'm sure." She bites her lip before admitting. "He's a very good man. He's kind and very good to me."

"What do you like most about him?"

"Several things." She exhaled, knowing he was fishing for information and being careful not to provide much information. "He's honest with me and has a protective nature."

"Why didn't he visit you in the hospital then?"

"You didn't visit, either." She stated.

"You had me on the barred list."

She glowered. "I did not! Why would I bar you from the hospital?"

"Because you're mad at me!" Kate opened her mouth to protest, then she thought back on Thomas's words. He wouldn't….Kate laughed and shook her head. "What?"

"It wasn't me." she smiled broadly. "I know who it was."

"Him?"

"I'm fairly certain. He's got multiple connections in the city."

"Must be, if he can bar me from the hospital."

"He knows you and I have issues and he probably wanted me to get some rest." She shakes her head. "So you don't get a bad impression of him, he did call me twice a day to check in and I got to talk to the children."

"What would I like about him?"

"He was a soldier in the war."

"Do not say private." Her father groans in distaste. "You have the worst habit of falling in love with men who are unsuitable."

Kate felt anger surge through her, but she tapped it down. "He's a decorated sergeant major."

"Well, he's decorated at least. That's saying something. What did he do to deserve his medals?"

"I'm not saying." Kate states firmly. "I know you're trying to figure out who is he, I'm not falling for it."

"Fine, then what's he look like?"

Kate rolls her eyes as they pull up in front of the house. "He's got….the deepest, bluest eyes, I've ever seen. That's all you're going to get from me."

The doorman hurries down the steps to open the car door. Her nurse gets out first and helps Kate get out of the car. The front door opens and slams, causing her to jump.

It's her brother Anton and he's in a rage. "Father!" he half-shouts. "We've got to do something about that Shelby bastard."

Kate's heart stops in her chest and she's glad that no one, apart from her nurse has noticed her reaction. Kate inhales sharply, trying to find composure. It couldn't be Thomas, could it?

"Hold your tongue boy!" her father snaps. "Your sister, has come back from the hospital and you start shouting! You're scaring her."

Her brother exhales. "I'm sorry Kate. Its business, you know." she nods as he turns back to her father. "We've got to do something about Thomas Shelby." Now she knew it was him. "That damn gypsy is threatening to burn the house down unless you have a meeting with him!"

Her father's face stiffened and body went rigid. "He's threatening my house? Who the hell does he think he is?"

"He's in parliament." Kate's stomach swirled. Why did she have go and get this damn cancer? She wasn't there to keep him out of trouble! "What should you expect from an idiotic politician?"

"Politician or not, he should be taught a lesson." Kate moved towards the stairs, the nurse moved slowly alongside her.

"He also left this note." Kate glances back at them as the doorman opens the door. Her brother slaps a bloody note in her father's hand.

"Whose blood is this?" her father demands.

"Mine!" Anton snaps! Kate steps inside the house and fortunately, her father and Anton follow her inside.

"Why is-

"He and his brother, Arthur, jumped me in the alley! Their men took out both of my men."

The nurse went to lead her up the stairs, but Kate shook her head. "I'll be up in a moment. I want to get a book." She turns to the butler. "Show her upstairs please."

Her father and Anton head to the library, talking loudly. "This is insufferable!" her father shouted. "He thinks he can talk to me like this!"

"Now, do I have your permission to send those bloody gypsies to hell where they belong?" Anton shouted as they went into the library.

"Damn right you do!" Kate's heart rose in her chest as she gripped the banister tightly as she trotted up the stairs, each move hurt her chest, but she needed to move fast. Kate knew how her father and Anton worked well enough. The clock chimed that it was 3 o'clock. By four, everyone would be filled in on what was going down and by 4:45, they'd be at the estate. By 5, the entire Shelby family and household staff would be dead.

Kate stepped into her room to find the nurse fussing over her bed. Kate grabbed a heavy book from her bookcase and approached her quietly. She drew the book back and smacked her on the head, causing her to fall to the bed!

"May God forgive me." Kate breathes as she hits the woman in the jaw, knocking her out. Kate quickly checks her vitals before hurrying to her closet, pulls out as many of her scarves as she can carry. She then ties the woman to the bed and gags her with a handkerchief.

She retrieves her purse and coat from the closet and sneaks back down the stairs. She can hear her father and Anton arguing in the library. Kate heads out the front door, being careful not to latch it all the way and trots down the street away from that house. She then flags down a taxi, who takes off speeding down the road after she shoves nearly 30 pounds into his hands.

She wants to stop and call, but knows that her father has multiple operators on his payroll and she can't risk one of them overhearing. She hopes she can make it to the Shelby house in time!

She leans back in the seat of the taxi, hand against her chest. The wet stickiness causes her to jump. She looks down and see's that her hand is covered in blood. "Damn it." she curses as she tears a section of her skirt free to press it to her chest. She can only hope she makes it to the estate before she bleeds out.

* * *

**Idcam: It's not over yet.**


	20. 20: The Red Shoes

Chapter: The Red Shoes

* * *

"Miss," the driver asked. "are you sure-

"Keep the change and get out." Kate ordered. "Get out of here as fast as you can."

"Can't you call the police?" he asked. "I don't know what the trouble is-

"The police are useless! Go!" with that, Kate turned and ran up the stairs, clutching more of her torn skirt to her chest. She didn't even bother to knock. She just wrenched the front door open and ran in. "Hello!" she shouted. "Is anyone here?"

"Kate?" Arthur comes around the corner from the dining room. "Flipping hell, you're bleeding!"

"I need to talk to Thomas!" she demands. "Where is he? It's a matter of utmost importance!"

"Kate?" her head jerks up towards the stairs as she sees Thomas rapidly descending the stairs, pulling on his coat. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"She's bleeding Tom."

Thomas's eyes flashed as he gripped her waist before shouting at Elton, who now peered cautiously around the corner. "Fetch a doctor! She's bleeding!"

"Of course Sir!"

She shook her head. "No! It can wait!"

He declared. "Your chest is bleeding!" he declared as he started to guide her to the nearest chair. By now, people began milling out of the dining room, fortunately, it appeared to be only family. At least she hoped, there were a few new faces unfamiliar to her. "Kate, you need-

"WILL YOU JUST SHUT UP AND LISTEN TO ME!" She screamed hysterically. Everyone froze in place and stared at her. "I'm not sure what you've been up to while I was in the hospital, but my father, Gilbert Kovach-

"Kovach?" Polly shouted. "Kovach is your father?"

"You've been spying on us!" Michael accused.

Kate shook her head and shouted back. "I have not!"

"Kate," Thomas snapped. "calm down. Everyone else shut up!"

"But she's-

"Shut up!" he turned to her. "You were saying?"

Kate focused directly on him. "As you know, I never told him anything about any of you! I didn't even know you were part of the peaky blinders!" she inhaled sharply. "Apparently, you managed to upset my brother and insult my father, so he just authorized a hit on all of you!" everyone began talking rapidly. Thomas, however, remained calm and in control. "I came here to warn you that he's coming here with several cars of men to kill the entire Shelby family! And trust me, when I say family that includes women and children. Then, he'll take care of the household staff so there won't be any witnesses. Instead interrogating me, please, get everyone to safety! I'm guessing they'll be here by 4:30-4:45!"

"And how the hell do we know this isn't a trap?" Gina demands. Kate lets out a groan; it's 10 minutes to 4:00. They're running out of time to get away! Why do people always argue instead of getting to safety? "They're probably waiting for us to come out!"

"I wouldn't do that!"

"You're a Kovach!" she spits. "Do you have any idea what your father did to my family?"

"No, I do not!" Kate snapped. "I don't associate with him."

"Kate legally," Thomas states as he stands up. "had her name changed to Carter 10 years ago. She hasn't been associating with her father or brother."

"I've also spent most of my time in America, I don't know what he's been doing since I left."

"Oh, you can spin a fancy tale alright." Polly snaps at her.

"Ease off her," a dark haired woman with a friendly face says as she approaches Kate with a glass of water. "she's here bleeding, her dress is torn and she looks like she's going to be sick." Kate takes the glass of water and hurriedly drinks it. Thomas's hand hovers near her shaking one as she drains the glass. "She probably saved everyone's lives by coming here and warning us, at great risk to her health!"

"Thank you Ada." Thomas says gratefully.

"And Kate wouldn't betray us," Arthur stated. "she's very fond of Charlie and Ruby."

"Oh God!" Kate nearly drops her water at the thought of her brother getting close to the house, and putting those two in danger. "I told you I was bad luck." Kate stated. "I told you."

"You're not bad luck. But for now, everyone needs to focus." Thomas stands up. "Ada, if you have a spare dress, Kate needs it." the dark haired woman nods and Thomas helps Kate to her feet. "Kate, go upstairs and change."

"You can't trust that Kovach bitch!" Gina shrieks.

"I already knew her name was Kovach!" he snapped, causing everyone to start in surprise.

Even Kate stared at Thomas in shock. "How did you-

"Kate, I'll tell you everything you need to know later." He says calmly. "But right now, we're pressed for time and I need for you to get changed. Ada, look after her for me."

Ada nods and takes Kate's arm. "Come on, I'm Ada by the way, Tommy's sister."

"Nice to meet you, though, I wish under less pressing circumstances."

"Everyone," Thomas orders. "family meeting in the library."

"This is all that woman's fault!" Polly shouts. "I knew I should have shot her the moment she set foot in this house!"

"Enough!" he roared, causing Kate to turn on the steps. "In the library and I need to call Jeremiah." _That _seemed to get a reaction out of everyone; even Ada and she had no idea why.

Ada placed a hand on her back and continued to move her up the stairs. "Come on. let them sort this out."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. You'll get used to this."

* * *

10 minutes later, Kate was walking down the stairs with Ada beside her. Ada had lent her a pale blue, knee-length dress. Kate preferred longer skirts, as they made her look taller, but she'd admit, this dress looked nice on her. the bleeding had fortunately stopped. Ada had been kind enough to run downstairs and get her some clean bandages. She helped Kate secure the bandages, but didn't say a thing in regards to Kate's appearance, but she felt the sympathy from Ada.

Thomas stepped out of the library and glanced up at the stairs. Everyone shuffled out behind him. their faces were dark, angry and sullen. He gestured to her. "Perfect timing Kate. Come in here please."

She nodded, keeping her head high as she walked past a group of unfriendly looking face. Well, Arthur's face was friendly, he smiled at her as she passed by him.

"Whore." Michael hissed as he shoved passed her. she brought her hand up to smack him, but stopped herself.

"What did he just say to you?" Thomas demanded.

"It's nothing." She states as she pauses in front of him, heading straight for the couch. "There's enough drama going on. let's not add to it."

"You're going to regret this Tommy." Polly states.

"I know what I'm doing!" He slams the door shut. He turned to her, tugging his coat into place. "Is there anything else about you that I need to know?"

"No. you know everything about me now." She inhaled as she sits on the couch. "I am so sorry. I didn't want to associate with my family and now this happened."

"It's not your fault."

"Yes it is. if I'd have told you who I was-

" I'd still have meddled in your father's business regardless of knowing you. I'm glad that I did know you, so everything can be fixed. Had you not moved in, all of us would probably be dead in 30 minutes." He exhaled. "I did find out who you were a few months ago, but…I wanted to see if you'd tell me."

"I would have, given time." She promised. "I swear it."

"I know. I could tell you were getting close. But, back to the subject at hand." He inhaled and studied her carefully. "Now, I have a man coming who's going to stop this whole this whole thing. His name is Jeremiah…he's a minister."

She nods as her stomach churns violently inside her. "Yes, I'll marry you." she didn't mean to blurt that out, but that's where she figured he was heading.

His brow arched. "Sorry?"

Heat blossomed in her cheeks. "You said he's a minister and you're bringing him in here, we're the only two people present. I'm assuming you're thinking my brother won't hurt you if you're my husband. If that is what you were thinking, you'd be correct. My father and brother did swear that anyone I married would have his protection forever." He was silent for a moment. "Did I misunderstand you?"

"No." He nodded. "I figured, I just…wasn't expecting you to agree before letting me propose."

She held his gaze. "Is this is going to be a marriage of convenience?"

He nods. "It'll be convenient."

She inhaled and asked. "I mean…will we be…having relations, like in a real marriage? Or, is this a marriage for show?"

Thomas was silent for a moment, his face an expression that she couldn't read. At that moment, her worst fear came true. It had all been a game to him. she'd gone and fallen in love with him, and now, she was going to be married to a man who probably cared nothing for her. how appropriate, she'd fallen into the same plight Lizzie had.

* * *

**Idcam: Sorry to add to the suspense, but I don't think I'll be able to update for 3 days due to a busy schedule.**


	21. 21: The Wedding List

Chapter twenty-one: The Wedding List

* * *

Thomas stares at Kate, unsure of what to say at this moment. Everything in him was screaming to tell this woman that he loved her. However, the other part of him was telling him not to. Kate wasn't ready yet. Today was going to be a day full of multiple bombs going off for Kate and he didn't want to add one more bomb to the mix.

Kate was also being difficult to completely read. Her posture was stiff and closed off. True, Polly and his family hadn't made things any easier for her. She was insecure from the surgery and exhausted. He needed her to stay strong and take things easy after this day from Hell finished with her. Then, once she'd recovered, he'd declare his love and made sure that not a single day went by without her feeling his love. Nor, would he ever allow her to feel unloved again.

At that moment, someone knocked at the door and they both turned as Arthur stuck his head in the room. "Jeremiah's here with Finn and Isaiah."

"Thanks." He stood up and reached for his coat. "Shall we?"

* * *

Kate knows that they need to really talk more about this, but there was no time right now. They could always talk in detail after the ceremony. She nodded and headed towards the library exit. "Of course." She heard him open up his drawer in his desk and pull something out. As she exits the hall, everyone is still standing there. Polly has a look that threatens to burn her to cinders where she stands.

"Ah, Jeremiah," he states casually as he approaches Jeremiah. Kate smiles in approval as he shakes the African man's hand with ease. "good of you to come."

"I'm glad to come my friend. I was almost out of town when one of your men flagged me down and sent me back your way." Kate detects the Caribbean accent and smiles. Thomas always managed to keep a collection of interesting people close to him. Jeremiah glances at curiously at her. "Who is this lady?"

"this is Kate." He holds out his hand for her and she approaches.

She extends her hand. "Katherine carter."

"Kovach." Polly bites out, causing her to flinch.

Kate inhales. "Allow me to amend that statement. I was born Katherine Kovach, I legally had name changed to Carter years ago."

Thomas just cuts to the quick. "Jeremiah, I need you to marry us."

Jeremiah wasn't phased. "As you told me on the phone, this is most irregular."

"It's alright." She said as she held onto Thomas's hand. "It's consensual on both parties."

Jeremiah shakes his head. "Marriage is an honorable thing, not to be taken lightly."

Kate glances at the clock. "Either we marry now, or the whole of his family get slaughtered by my brother."

"What if your marriage doesn't stop your brother?"

"It will. It's a vow he and my father both made to my mother, which she made them, swear again on her deathbed." She glanced up at the clock. "It's 4:05, if they stick to the old way of doing things, they'll be here within 40 minutes."

Jeremiah glances at the two of them suspiciously before exhaling. "In that case, I better begin. Dearly beloved-

Thomas takes her left hand and holds onto her hands tightly. This _was not_ how she'd wanted to get married, but for once, she wanted to have a wedding ceremony that wouldn't end in bloodshed or tears. A scuffling upstairs caused her to glance up to see Ruby and Charlie peering over the banister with another boy. Both of them were smiling, so, she smiled up at them before glancing back to Jeremiah. Thomas's gaze followed her upwards and he smiled briefly at them. In that moment, she knew she could do this. She could do this for those two.

The ceremony was a bit of a blur, until it was time for the exchange of vows and rings. Kate was able to say her vows in a clear voice, as was he. She hadn't been expecting one, so when Arthur stepped forward to hand one to Thomas, she was surprised.

She stared curiously at Thomas as he then slid a stunning diamond and emerald ring on her finger. She gasped as she stared down at it in shock. "Where did you-

"I bought it." he said simply.

Her head jerked up to ask him the question her heart needed to know. "When?"

He held her gaze as he said. "In London."

Kate's mind was in such a blur that she barely comprehended Jeremiah's final words. "And now, having entered into the covenant of marriage by the exchanging of vows and the giving and receiving of rings, by the power vested in me I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride."

Kate bit her lip uneasily as Thomas gently pulled her towards him and kissed her. One arm encircled her waist as the other gripped the hand with their ring. As their lips touched, Ruby and Charlie let out a few shrieks and applause. A few people clapped, but she suspected it was only Arthur and Ada. It had been a month since he kissed her, but the same familiar sensations filled her body. Kate knew he must have feelings for her; otherwise, he would not have bought her an expensive ring.

As they broke the kiss, she smiled slightly at him. He placed a kiss on her nose before leading her up the stairs towards ruby and Charlie. "Arthur," he called over his shoulder. "crack open a bottle of champagne."

"Right!" A quick glance at the clock showed it was 4:19 and her stomach churned nervously. She didn't feel as bad, now that she was his wife. There was no way her brother could hurt any of them now.

There was grumbling downstairs, which she fought to ignore as ruby and Charlie ran over to hug them. Thomas chuckled at their reactions. "Easy you two, you'll knock your new mother down the stairs."

_Mother. _There's a word she thought would never be applied to her. "I like Kate!" ruby states.

"She's your mother now."

Kate reaches for his hand. "Let them call me mother, when they feel the time is right."

He nods. "Right. You two head downstairs and keep an eye on Arthur. Tell him I said you can each have one sip of champagne."

Kate frowned as both the children ran down the stairs. "Aren't they young for alcohol?"

"It's a celebration. Besides, they'll keep the atmosphere friendly in there while you and I discuss a few final things."

"Alright."

Kate allows Thomas to lead her down the hall into a bedroom filled with wood. Kate takes a few steps in the room, only to freeze as she reflects on his words. Kate had a very funny feeling that she knew what the one final thing was and she hoped it wasn't what she was thinking.

The door latching behind her caused her to spin around and view Thomas. He looked uneasy as he cleared his throat. "Kate, I need to know this. Is your brother the type of man who'd ask for… evidence that we completed the ceremony?"

The blood drained out of her face as she understood what Thomas was asking. Her thoughts flickered back to where she'd hoped this wedding would be blood and tear free. Well, it was tear free so far, but it appears that it would be her blood that would be spilled in a matter of minutes.

* * *

**Idcam: Things aren't quite done being dramatic yet. Kate's got 2 more bombshells to endure. Will try to update by Monday, but no promises. I had this chapter on ice and decided to upload it to bring some of the tensions off you all until Monday.**

**Crazylooneytoon: Sorry to disappoint.**

**Angel029: Not quite. A friend of mine is getting married this Sunday, her event planner is sick and guess who she begged to help her out? Yup, it's me. Luckily, it's a small wedding. Will try to post by Monday, but I may be too exhausted.**


	22. 22: Between a man and a woman

Chapter twenty-two: Between a man and a woman

* * *

"Oh God." Kate grips the wooden footrest of the bed for support. "I forgot about that."

"Kate," he steps towards her, his hand up in a feeble attempt at reassuring her that everything was under control. "nothing's going to happen."

Kate stares at him as if he's taken leave of his sense. "Obviously, it is!"

"No." he shakes his head as he glances at his watch. "We've got 15 to 20 minutes to discuss this."

"Discuss?" she stares at him. "What the hell is there to discuss?"

"Kate?" he gripped her shoulders. "I need you to breathe and calm down."

"But how can I-

"Inhale," she obeyed. "and exhale. Again." As she inhaled, he spoke. "There are several options for you pick from." She exhaled. "The first is that we do nothing." Kate choked on her air. "Now, he probably won't ask for proof, but you'd know him better than I."

"He would." Kate shudders. "God, he really would."

"Then if he does, we'll tell him that we'll take care of that tonight."

Kate shakes her head. "As much as I hate to admit it, he'll take that opportunity to hurt everyone. Which means, you'll have to do me," her cheeks heated at her own coarse words. "in fifteen seconds instead of the fifteen, maybe fourteen minutes now."

He clears his throat uncomfortably. "It wouldn't be fifteen seconds Kate."

She snorts. "With bullets flying, I doubt that."

"The second option is you call your father right now." She shakes her head. "Why?"

"He'll think the same as my brother"

"He won't give you a few hours?"

She shakes her head. "No, he won't, he's pretty upset with you and he'll be furious that he's been bested. Third option?" He walks over to his nightstand drawer, pulls it open to reveal a small knife inside, which he then puts on top of the stand. Kate jumps up as he starts to roll up his sleeve. "Wait a minute, what are you doing?"

"I'm faking the blood on the sheets." He explains.

Kate stares at him in utter shock. "What?"

He smiles cockily at her. "Did you really think that I was going to put you through anything like that?"

"Yes."

He shoots her a wounded look as he picks up the knife. "Well, I wouldn't."

"Don't, please!" Kate steps towards him, putting her hand atop of his. "That is…really, the sweetest, most selfless thing anyone's done for me. but…I don't want you to do that."

"Then what do you want me to do Kate?" he asks as he sets down the knife. "Because there aren't any other options."

Kate bites her lip and makes up her mind probably too quickly. "Time?"

He glances at his watch. "4:20." Kate exhales, closes her eyes for a minute before turning and pulling back the covers. "No, not happening Kate."

"That is really the best option. No one gets hurt."

"Except for you."

She turns towards him, confusion in her eyes. "You'd hurt me?"

He exhales. "No, I wouldn't."

"I trust you." he shakes his head and she reaches for his hand. "I trust _you._"

He reaches up and cups her face. "I don't want to Kate, I really don't." Kate places a hand on his hip, her heart pounding in her chest as he glanced downwards. "You deserve far better than what you're asking."

"This isn't about me anymore. It's about the family."

"Look-

"No, you asked me to make a choice, and I did."

He lets out a curse and sighs. "Kate." He studies her face very closely before nodding. "Alright." Her heart jumps in her chest as he shrugs out of his coat. "But after this, I won't touch you again. that is…unless you want me to."

Kate smiles feebly. "You're a good man."

"I'm really not." Kate starts to undo the sash on the dress, but he stops her. "Keep your clothes on." he leans forward to kiss her, causing her heart rate to spike. "You're not ready for this, so," a deep kiss on her lips causes her to reach for his waist. "I'm going to give you as much privacy as I can."

With that, he cupped her neck in his hands and proceeded to kiss her frantically. Kate gripped a hold of his wrists and closes her eyes. Her heart pounded in her chest as he backed her up against the bed. she went down before he had the chance to position her, breaking the kiss. He exhales, giving her a moment to get comfortable before getting on the bed.

her heart pounded in her throat as Thomas got on top of her, drawing her skirt up to her waist. embarrassment nearly smothered her as she reached behind her to brace herself against the wooden bed frame. He brings her undergarments down her legs and quickly inserts a finger inside of her. Against her will, she jumped as his finger hit her virgin barrier. He leans forward to kiss her again and she brings her hand towards his shoulders.

The cool feel of the ring on her finger, causes her to break the kiss. "Wait!" he exhales roughly and looks down at her. "I-I just need to know." She inhales as she asks. "The ring?" he looks confused. "Why'd you buy me this ring?"

"That's it?" he asks as she nods. He lets out an exhale before resumes pumping his finger inside her.

"Yes!" she lets out a moan and bucks her hips slightly as these unwanted feelings started to serge inside her.

"You need to know…now?"

"Yes!" her voice rises slightly as he slips another finger inside her. "Oh God! Please," he exhaled as she slaps the side of the bed in frustration between the emotions flowing over her and his hesitancy to answer such a question. "I need to know!"

"Because…we were at that point Kate." She stares up at him in surprise as he pumps harder and faster inside her. "I was planning on proposing to you." Those words made her heart surge in her chest as he leaned forward to kiss her. "Just not this soon."

With that, his lips closed over hers, causing her to moan. She felt slightly better now, knowing that he was planning to propose to her. But there were still so many unanswered questions, which she decided to put it out of her mind for the moment. Kate moved her hands to encircle his shoulders as she shyly returned the kisses.

Her body instantly betrayed her by reacting to his attentions. She could feel the warmth and wetness as he withdrew his fingers from inside her. She heard him unzipping his trousers and inhaled mentally readied herself as she didn't dare to look at him. She knew what was coming and even though she trusted him, she still felt as if she going to be sick with terror. She felt the tip of him inside her folds and she stiffened up for a second. Thomas hesitated and for one moment, she thought he was going to change his mind about this whole thing.

He didn't.

He surged forward and caught her lips in a bruising kiss that caused her to grip his shoulders. With one quick, hard thrust, he tore through her virginity. She let out a cry of discomfort, clutching him tightly, and breathing through the pain. Thomas said something to her, in Romani. She wasn't sure what he was saying, but the tone was soothing. She exhaled in relief and closed her eyes, listening to him speak in Romani as he buries a kiss in her neck, causing her to moan.

"Kate?" he asks gently.

"I'm alright." She breathed softly in his ear.

He kissed her a few more times before starting to move inside her. Kate exhales and relaxes somewhat, moving her hands to his forearms. He expertly coaxed her mouth open with his, resulting in a fiery, wet kiss that causes her to cling tighter to him. It's not hurting her as much anymore. The pain is being replaced by a mysterious, intense, almost pleasurable feeling. To her, it feels as if their bodies are a good fit, he feels right against her. She knows that she's his third wife, so she can't be sure what it is he's feeling, but he clearly knows what he's doing.

Something unfamiliar begins building in her lower body, a tense pressure that causes her to shift her hips in an attempt to relieve the pressure. It to build, causing her to whimper in frustration. Thomas began moving harder within her, causing the pressure to build and she begins to shift her hips desperately against him. She brings her legs up around his waist, causing him to slide further inside her.

Thomas suddenly hits something deep inside her, causing her to let out a moan as her eyes fly open. He continued to hit that spot inside her, causing another sound to escape her lips. every movement on his part causes her body to tingle and twitch as the tension inside her body builds before finally exploding throughout her. Kate wrenches her head back and lets out a gasping cry at the same moment; Thomas let a deep exhale and releases his seed inside her. she inhales sharply, closing her eyes as her body buzzes from the pleasure and attempts to understand what just happened to her

She bit her lip as Thomas exhaled deeply, his breath hot on her neck. She noticed he had been careful not to collapse on top of her, even if it was a bit of an effort for him. His lips lightly touched hers in a gentle kiss, breathing something in Romani as he carefully withdrew from her. she rolled over on her side as he got out of the bed. she appreciated that he kept his back to her, giving her some privacy. She stood up, her legs shaking as she picked up her knickers and carefully made her way to the bathroom. She was sore, but true to his word, he hadn't hurt her. After cleaning herself up, as she went to step into her undergarments, a glance down showed blood spots. Kate groaned, as if the day couldn't get any worse. Oh well, maybe Ada had a tampax to spare.

* * *

Thomas's stomach swirled in guilt as he rearranged his clothes. He didn't want to take Kate like that at all. he'd wanted to give her so much more than that. Then…that was the choice Kate had made. He was perfectly willing to shed his own blood to keep her safe, but she didn't want that. Why, she made that decision was going to drive him insane. Why didn't she just let him do that?

He'd helped her through it as much as he could and she'd gone along with it. She was very receptive he noted, each little touch seemed to set her off. She even returned his kisses. But then she was a virgin, so, everything was new. He smiled faintly, hadn't been too new to Grace and Lizzie. But Kate…his Kate…he knew that she'd be good. this time hadn't been perfect, but…maybe the next time it would be.

He glanced at his watch. It was 4:48. He steps to the window and peers out. sure enough as Kate predicted, there were six cars coming up the drive. He exhales and steps through the doors towards the bathroom.

He coughs, letting her know that he's outside. "Kate," he taps on the door with his knuckles. "your brother is here." Kate drops something, which causes him to smile. He loves her skittish nature.

"I'm ready." She clears her throat and steps outside of the restroom. She inhales as she brushes by him without looking up. "Shall we?"

Thomas exhales, he feels as if they've gone back to the beginning of their relationship. he follows after her, they're halfway down the stairs when he speaks. "Kate?" She turns towards him as he places his hand on the railing next to her. "Are you alright?"

She bites her lip but nods. "Yes." He doesn't believe her. she inhales and wipes her eyes. "I'm sorry, I really am, and it's just… I can't break down now."

"Yes," he reaches for her hand and to his relief, she doesn't pull away from him. "you can."

"No." She shakes her head. "if I do…I won't stop." He reaches into his pocket and hands her a handkerchief. "Thank you."

"You're a strong woman Kate." He placed his hands on her shoulders and pulled her into a hug, which she instantly reciprocated.

"Don't let me go." She breathes quietly.

He smiles faintly at her as he places a kiss on her cheek. "That I can do."

"They're coming up the drive!" Arthur shouts from the library.

Kate clears her throat and pulls away. "We better go."

He nods and hurries down the stairs, holding onto her hand. "Ok, everyone except for Arthur in the living room."

"I'll get the door."

Thomas shakes his head. "No."

"It has to be me. anyone else will get shot on sight, no questions asked." She inhales and opens the front door.

A gun is instantly pointed in her face, but fortunately, it's her brother holding the gun. "Kate?" He lowers it as he stares at her in shock before he demands angrily. "What are _you _doing here?"

* * *

**CrazyLoonyToon: Your wish is my command.**

**Guest: I know, she's amazing! I love so much of her music!**

**Velairis: The crazy isn't over yet.**

**Angel029: It was very bizarre. The wedding planner, brought in her assistant, who kept pestering me for a date! I ignored him for 2 days, then, when I'm on the phone with the bakery, he kisses my neck! My instant reaction, unfortunately for him, is to put him in a headlock and slam him to the ground! (Gotta love judo!) Lucky for me, it happened in the room with security camera, so his boss saw him. She called him up and fired him! I told her that, unfortunately, I needed him here, but to keep him in check via camera. Here's where it gets weird. My friend, the bride, calls me up and demands I apologize for jeopardizing her wedding! I refused to apologize for being harassed, she goes all nuts on me, screaming I don't do anything for her, etc. I wasn't even getting paid, I did it as a favor for her! So, I quit the day before the wedding! Then, I get a message from the groom, who decided to send me $350! So, I caught a ride with another friend, who decided to drive up to Vegas for no reason. So, we had fun and he just dropped me off back home. I'll be catching a much needed nap, but I didn't want to leave you all hanging much longer.**

**Idcam: Yes, but I think Thomas handled the whole situation very well, leaving Kate as much privacy as possible. But it's not over yet, the next chapter deals her one final blow.  
**


	23. 23: Hammer horror

Chapter twenty-three: Hammer horror

* * *

"I live here," Kate says with a smile. "with my husband."

"Husband?" his voice raises as he slowly realizes that a dramatic change has happened in a mere two hours. "What are you talking about? You're not married!"

"Yes, I am." She holds out a hand towards him. His eyes bulge as he stares at the ring. "I married Thomas Shelby. Do you know him?"

Her brother swore violently as he cursed her. "You married that gypsy bastard Thomas Shelby?!"

"Kindly refrain from calling my husband names, he does take things personally." Thomas steps beside her, still holding her hand. Her brother shoots him a dirty look as he holsters his gun. "Tell your men to stand down; you cannot touch any of the Shelby family now."

"Well, you made damn sure I can't now. That was low of you Kate. Joining up with the enemy and forcing father to have to accept such a thing."

"Well, considering how he hated Emmett," she bit out. "he should find Thomas an improvement. Order those men to leave."

Thomas shakes his head. "No, I have a few questions for you that I want one of your men to answer for. Have them stand down."

Anton turns towards one his men and nods. "You heard him, no fighting today. Pass the word." As the man turns back down the stairs, Anton states venomously. "My little sister made sure of that." Kate exhales as Thomas guides her away from the door to allow her brother in. he steps in and kicks the door shut behind him. "So," he looks her up and down. "now, you're property of the peaky blinders." Kate glowers at him as his voice gets louder. "I can't believe this. Why the hell did you marry him?!" He shouted. "Why?!

"Because," Kate shifts back a step. "he's a good man and a wonderful father."

"I'm not buying it!" Her brother shouted in her face. "He forced you to marry him, didn't he?"

"Get out," Thomas warned him sharply. "of my wife's face."

"Thomas didn't make me marry him." Kate snaps at him, her patience starting to fray. "No man makes me do anything I don't want to do, even you know that."

Her brother chuckles darkly. "So you claim. But don't illusion yourself; the man bought his life for the price a wedding ring."

Thomas took a step towards him, but she held his hand. "Don't. He's not worth it."

"Are you sure you're married to him, and you're not just putting me on?" her brother demands. "You probably just put the ring on and didn't go through the ceremony and all."

She shook her head. "No, the marriage is real."

"I want proof." Her brother smirked at her. "Bring the bridal sheet down here and then we'll talk about how things are going to work now."

Kate blanched feeling absolutely sick to her stomach that her brother actually demanded that evidence. Yet relived that she and Thomas actually consummated their marriage because heaven knows what would have happened if they had not! "You're honestly going to humiliate me like that?"

"Not intentionally." He stepped towards her. "I know you Kate. You'll lie to save anyone….even scum like him."

"How dare you!" she almost shouts at him.

"Kate," Thomas grips her elbow and guides her towards the library. "stay calm, have a seat." She exhales as he sits her in the chair nearest his desk. He then turns to her brother Anton. "You will not say a word to her, until I get back."

"She's my sister."

"But she's my _wife_." Kate actually smiles at the way he puts emphasis on the word 'wife', makes it sound genuinely caring. "She's under my care now, not yours and you won't say anything to her. Understood?" Anton nodded and Thomas turned towards her. "I'll be back in a moment."

Kate nods and leans back in the chair, attempting to relax. She's almost tempted to close her eyes, but she doesn't dare appear too relaxed before her brother. He sits in a chair opposite her, seemingly compliant, until Thomas closes the door. The moment Thomas's footsteps are heard going up the stairs, he stands up and heads for his desk.

Kate shoots him a glower and stands up. "Get away from his desk."

Anton looks at her, amusement on his face. "Or what?"

"Don't test me." she warns. "I've had enough stress for one day. You're skating on thin ice already."

He snorts. "And you aren't? Do you really think dad's going to honor mom's wish because you married Thomas Shelby?"

"He better." Kate states. "Regardless of what your business dealings are, Thomas is a good man and I love him."

He snorts. "I'm not buying this one; you've been in love with Emmet for years, even after his death. Don't tell me he got you to fall in love with him; he's totally the opposite of Emmet."

"And that's a good thing." Kate states as she gestures for him to go back to his seat, which he does. "I fell in love with him because he's the opposite of him. Both men are different, but… there's a strength and protectiveness to Thomas that I've always been drawn too."

"Protective?" he snorts. "That remains to be seen."

She glowers. "What do you mean by that?"

"Let me put it this way. Our butler saw you run out of the house at 3:00 and you must have gotten here around here close to 4:00. It's almost 5:00 now and I've been here for at least 10 minute. The ceremony takes at least 15 minutes, even if it's being rushed. So, that means you had less than 20 minutes have some horizontal refreshment." Kate jumps up from her chair, her cheeks blazing in embarrassment. "And no man," he states as he crosses his arms over his chest, with a satisfied smirk. "if he loves the woman, is going to do her that fast."

"God, I hate you!" she snapped.

"It would have been your first time Kate." Hot tears streamed down her cheeks at that reminder. "And if he loves you, he wouldn't have done it. You deserve more than that."

"Well," Thomas entered the library and threw the sheet at her brother's face. "he didn't hurt me, so he must know something that you don't know."

He made a face of disgust as he examined the sheet. Kate turned aside, wiping her eyes. "I stand corrected."

A hand on her shoulder caused her to spin around. It was Thomas. "You alright Kate?"

"I'm fine." she croaked. He handed her his handkerchief and wiped her eyes. "Thank you."

"You did this," her brother declares. "just to spite me."

"Marrying?" Thomas stated. "No. we were going to marry eventually, you just made it sooner than either of us planned." Arthur steps into the library and closes the door behind him. "And now, down to business."

Her brother snorts. "Right, you're to stay out of family affairs."

"You forget," Thomas states coldly, his voice sending a chill down her spine. "I am family now. I'm making the demands now…you'll follow them."

Kate stands up. "If you'll excuse me gentlemen, I've no desire to know any business of this sort."

"Actually," Thomas states. "you do Kate, because it concerns you."

She frowns. "How-

"Because Anton," Thomas states darkly. "is about to tell me the name of the man who killed Emmet."

Kate's world sways as she grabs a hold of her vacated seat for support. "What?"

"Who did it?"

Her brother shrugs. "How should I know?"

"Because, I've been looking into the murder for months and all my sources confirm that you know." Kate stared at him in shock as he demands. "Answer, the bloody question." Anton makes the stupid mistake of smirking at Thomas, causing him to grab Anton by the shirt and wrench him out of his chair! "Who did it?"

"Thomas, what are you saying?" she demands.

"I'm saying, your brother hired someone to kill Emmett."

"He's my brother, he wouldn't dare!"

"I don't hear him denying it!"

Kate gasps as the blood drains out of her face. "You couldn't. You wouldn't dare do that to me!"

"Kate, I heard from a reliable source that it was a planned assassination," she could only shake her head mutely. "so I did some digging and this is what I found out." Kate sank down onto the armrest of the chair as Tommy's words began to hit her like hail. "He needed to do it at the wedding, because once you two were married, he couldn't raise a hand to him. But he needed to be sure he was in the clear, so he hired someone to do it at the wedding."

She began shaking her head in denial. "No. please, don't."

"Your father knew that it was planned," bile rose in her stomach. "this is why he didn't investigate into Emmet's murder." Kate shook her head as Thomas stated. "He covered for your brother."

"Tell me he's lying." She begged Anton. She didn't want to believe it, but somehow, it all made sense. "Tell me that you didn't do that to me."

"Damn right I did!" he shouted. "Dirty Kaiser had it coming!"

"The name!" Thomas demanded as he slammed him against the wall.

"I'll die first!" he shouts as he spits in Thomas's face!

"Fine with me!" Thomas shoved him against the wall and bellowed. "Arthur!"

"Kate!" her brother shouted. "Don't let him do this."

"Burn in Hell!" she screamed as she headed to the door, passing by an angry Arthur. "Mess him up good."

"I'm your brother!" he shots as he takes another punch from Thomas.

Those words made Kate's last hold on sanity snap.

She grabbed her gun from the holster on her leg, turned toward her brother and shot off the lobe of his ear. He howled and grabbed a hold of his ear as Thomas let him go and turned towards her as she shot off his second ear.

"Hold him!" she ordered as she advanced towards him. Thomas and Arthur were too shocked to argue with her as they held her sniveling brother on his feet. "Now," she orders furiously. "the name of the man you hired!"

"Never."

Kate cocks her gun and presses the muzzle of the gun right into his crotch, causing him to stop breathing for a second. "Now, if I fire, you'd have at least one hour to get to the nearest doctor. There's a huge blood vessel there, so you will drain out very quickly." She snarled. "There are major arteries supplying blood to your legs. You will also be the laughing stock off all of your men. Your ability to make love to a woman, or to even use the bathroom properly will be gone so, don't test me!"

"You wouldn't."

"I just shot off your ears." She snapped. "You killed the man I was to marry at the altar! My body is going through its monthly female course. I just got married! The ice is thing!" Kate shrieked! "You threatened my husband and family, I'll probably kill you myself!"

"Kate-

"Give me the goddamn name!" Kate shouts, drowning out Thomas's calming voice.

"Phillip Nash!" He shouts in her face.

"Fine!" Thomas throws him across the room towards the exit. "Get out!"

He looked to her. "He deserved it!"

"Just get out of here!" she screamed. "Get out!" she inhales sharply as she grabs her gun tighter in her hands. A strong hand around her waist causes her to shriek. "Let me go!"

"Kate," its Thomas. "Kate, Kate, wait a minute."

"Don't you dare tell me to calm down!" she screams.

"I'm not." He states. "Give Arthur the gun."

"I will not!" she snaps as she puts the gun in the holster again. "It's mine."

"Right." Thomas pulls his gun from his shoulder holster. "Follow me."

She frowns. "What are you doing?"

"It's not your office Kate." He stated. "It's mine." Thomas stepped out onto the doorway and shouted. "Phillip Nash!" Kate jumped at the sound of a gunshot. She around him to see a man lying there on the ground, bullet between his eyes.

Thomas holstered his gun and turned to her. She licked her lips. "Was he the one who-

"Yes."

She bit her lip. "I-I'm not sure how to feel."

He said nothing, just pulled her into his arms and held her tight. She held onto him and she reflected back on the moment in the club when he'd told her she'd never been with a man like him. And he was right, she hadn't. He was strong, dangerous, confident and yet calm.

He kissed her brow and whispered. "It's over. No one…will ever hurt you again." He kept an arm around her shoulder as he guided her back in the house. "Let's get you inside."

* * *

**Angelo029: Could have been her nerves, she's always been overly dramatic, but at least her husband has a good heart. (Don't see this marriage lasting long though.) My friend is a terrible troll and confessed to me that he got his sister to super glue her favorite lipstick tube shut!**

**Idcam: And, here's your drama! I found it amusing, I could have punched him, but I suspect that I outweigh him by 60 pounds and could have hurt him. He was very wary and apologetic around me afterwards. Even saying things like, "I'm going to reach past you for my pen." I think he learned his lesson.  
**


	24. 24: Leave it open

Chapter twenty-four: Leave it open

* * *

"Well, that was interesting, Tom." Arthur stated as he turned to her. "Kate, you were bloody impressive."

She smiles weakly. "Thank you Arthur." She sighed and rubbed her head. "God…I've no idea. All those years!" she turned towards Thomas and laid her hand on his forearm. "Thank you. I-I didn't know I needed to know that so much. Thank you."

"You're welcome Kate."

"What," she shook her head. "What made you look into it?"

"I can't take credit for that. Daniel."

She blinked in surprise. "Daniel?"

"He asked me to do that the night in the club." she exhaled and shook her head. "He felt he owed you a debt. As for me, I felt I owed it you…because of what we are."

"Thank you. You didn't have to do that."

"No, but I wanted to do it." Thomas held her hand. "Ok, we're going into the living room and have a small discussion with the family."

"I can't." she shakes her head. "I can't take anymore."

"You don't have to do anything." He assures her. "I just want you to sit and listen. Can you handle that?"

Kate exhales. "I suppose I can. It's just…everyone's so angry at me."

"They don't know you Kate," Arthur stated as he rubbed her shoulder. "give 'em time. Regardless of what Polly thinks…I trust you."

"Thank you." She smiles as Thomas takes her hand and they approach the parlor.

"As I stated before," Jeremiah's thick Caribbean accent was the first they heard. "all will be revealed in good time. You are too angry Polly."

"Damn right I am." Kate stops in her tracks. "That little minx thinks she can just swan on in here and take over this whole family."

"That's not what Tommy's said about her," Ada says. "I don't know much about her, but I like her."

"Please."

"I don't think she's as conniving as you think she is." Ada states. "I don't get that impression of her."

"Everyone knows," Gina states. "that Polly is never wrong when it comes to affairs of the heart."

"Until now." Thomas states as he enters the parlor, tugging her along with him. She inhales and holds tightly onto his hand. "I see I'm just in time for another family discussion." He glances at Charlie and ruby, who were both glowering at her. "I hope no one was saying bad things about Kate."

"Nobody likes her." Ruby mutters loudly.

Charlie tacks on. "Expect for Ada and Jeremiah."

"I don't know her," Jeremiah states. "but I always judge a person by how they shake my hand. She extended her hand first and she had a firm grip, strong eye contact and a kind smile. I don't see any of this…malice you claim she has."

Everyone took that moment to study her and she held his or her gaze as she shifted her weight. The medication she'd been given this morning was wearing off and she was starting to feel a sharp pain in her chest where her breast had been. "Does anyone happen to have an Anacin?"

Ada searched her purse and shook her head. "I'm sorry." No one else even bothered to check their pockets.

Thomas glanced at ruby and Charlie. "Alright, you two. Go ask Elton to see if we have some Anacin for Kate. Then ask him to let us know when dinner is ready. You two go wait at the table."

They nodded and as they passed by her, they both flashed her an encouraging smile as they hurried out of the room.

She shakes her head as she grabs tumbler of whiskey. "I'll be fine." she quickly pours herself a shot of whiskey. Thomas glanced at her in surprise as she downed it as if it was tequila. She let out a sharp cough as she exhaled. "God, that's strong, but I see why you men drink it. Calms the nerves."

He gripped her hand firmly. "You're doing good Kate. Almost there." he guides her to sit down in his chair, garnering more disapproving looks from Polly, Michael and Gina. "Now," he states as he places a hand on her shoulder. "Kate is my legal wife. From here on out, you will all give her the respect she deserves as my wife." Polly rolls her eyes. "I will not, tolerate anyone disrespecting her or talking bad about her."

"I'll never trust her." Aunt Polly spat venomously. "Never."

"What did I ever do to you Polly?" Kate suddenly demands. "You disliked me from the moment I walked in the door. And for the life of me, I cannot figure out why!"

"I find it reprehensible for any man, to bring his wife's mistress to her funeral!" Kate stared at her in shock. "Your affair caused Lizzie to commit suicide and here you are, now his wife and mother to his children that you stole!"

"Enough!" he shouted. "Liz and I had been having trouble for months. That brought it on, it wasn't Kate."

"I saw what was going on between you two!" she snapped. "deny it all you want but we all saw it."

"Nothing happened between us," she stated. "all we did was acknowledge that we had met once before, but couldn't place where."

"I know, in the war you two claim, but I did some digging. There is no record of you in any Red Cross service record."

"Naturally." Kate said. "My record was destroyed."

"Why?"

"That's my personal business which I don't feel compelled to share with you at the moment." She states firmly. "Arthur and Thomas saw the proof."

"Things can be forged."

"Photographs can't." she bites out. "I still had my nurse's band and Thomas and I have discussed many of the men that we knew during our time in Verdun. I may be a clever woman, but no woman can fake all knowledge of being on a battlefield like that."

Jeremiah nodded in agreement. "There is sense in what she's saying."

"Then why won't she say the truth?"

"The way you're attacking her?" Ada states. "I wouldn't answer anything you asked me if you put it to me like that. Why should she give you anything personal? She's already given it to Tommy and Arthur because she clearly trusts them."

"I also want to put on the record," Thomas stated. "that there was nothing going on between Kate and me when Lizzie was alive." He holds Polly's gaze. "Everyone here knows that I didn't love Lizzie when I married her. She'd wanted more from me than what I could give at the time. She was angry and upset. she invited Kate to move into the cottage and wanted her out the very next day. I told her there was nothing wrong, but that woman didn't believe me."

"The eyes can see what the tongue denies."

"There wasn't even a connection between us for months. There was a mutual understanding that we'd met somewhere before." Kate stated. "Nothing happened until I got back from America. That's when things changed because we remembered how we knew each other."

"The first time I kissed Kate was in May. Lizzie had already been dead for 8 months."

"You should have waited."

"Why? She was already dead to me and the annual mourning period is 6 months." Kate reached up and placed her hand atop his hand. "Kate was genuinely fond of Lizzie and can't be blamed for what was going on in her mind at the time." Polly doesn't look convinced. "I want you to give Kate a chance."

"Why should I?" he said something in Romani, causing Polly's eyes to flash. "You're a damn fool."

"She is my wife."

"You're a fool!"

"That may be, but Kate is my wife!" he exhales raggedly as reaches for the tumbler of whiskey. "I've never had anything like this before," Kate glances up at him and her heart stills in her chest at the look in his eyes. "and I don't intend to lose her."

Jeremiah smiled at him. "Good for you my friend. I've been praying ever since Grace, that one day, you'd be blessed with someone to make your spirit lighter. This time…I think you've got her."

"I agree." Arthur states as he steps towards the center of the room, drawing all eyes to him. "I've been closer to these two during this time than any of you here. Kate makes him happy and in spite of how she looks now, she's happier around him. Isn't that what matters? She's a good woman for him."

"Everyone 'good' for him turns out bad." Polly states. "You mark my words. This will end badly."

"It'll end badly for you." Arthur states firmly. "Kate almost shot the balls off her own brother after shooting off his ears." Everyone shot her a surprised look. "I'd say, her loyalty lies here with us. She has no family, she loves those two kids to death."

Ada nods. "I agree. Everyone should give her a chance. This thing has been rushed but," she flashes her a smile. "Tommy hasn't cared for someone in a long time. It's nice to see."

"Dinner, is served." Elton states from the doorway. "Also, Mr. Shelby, we appear to out of Anacin. Shall I go fetch some?"

Kate shakes her head as everyone walks swiftly out of the room. "No, don't bother. It's late." She turns towards him. "Might I have my own room for tonight," she asks tightly. "if not to inconvenient? I need some space, it's been a trying day and my chest is killing me."

"Understood." He nods. "Do you need anything? Morphine?"

She shakes her head. "No. Uhm, do you have any laudanum?"

"Might." He glances towards Elton, who steps forward. "Have we?"

"Yes Sir. I'll fetch it myself."

"Also, prepare one of the guest rooms for Mrs. Shelby." Elton shoots him a curious look. "She's had surgery a few days ago and really shouldn't be out of bed."

Elton nods. "Of course Sir." He turns to her. "And Mrs. Shelby, might I take the liberty of sending a maid up to help you tonight until we've had time to engage a lady's maid?"

Kate blinks. "Uhm, I could use some help until I've recovered, but," she turns to him. "do I really need a lady's maid?"

"Not if you don't want it."

"Thank you. And Elton, might you have her bring up some warm water and bandages please?"

"Of course Mrs. Shelby."

As Elton turns and leaves, Thomas turns her towards him. "Aren't you going to join us for dinner?"

She shakes her head. "Not tonight. I am really tired, in pain and I need some sleep." Thomas suddenly lifts her up from the ground, causing her to cling onto him. "What are you doing?"

"Taking you up the stairs," he climbs up the stairs without any effort. "you really shouldn't be out of bed at all. How long were you supposed to stay in bed anyway?"

"Three more weeks at least. Look, you really shouldn't be carrying me."

"Kate, its fine." the sound of footsteps behind them, causes him to turn slightly to see Elton and a maid hurrying up the stairs. "Make sure it's the room adjoining mine"

"Of course Sir," Elton holds out his hand. "might I have the key for it?"

Kate frowns as he states. "I unlocked it this evening. Kate's going to be bedridden for a few weeks. First thing tomorrow, have a doctor come here to examine her."

Kate shakes her head. "Thomas, I'll be fine."

"Kate, you were bleeding this morning." He continues up the stairs. "You weren't supposed to be out of bed and you've had to deal with a lot these past few hours."

"Yet, I'm still standing," he cocks his right brow at her, causing her to smirk slightly. "or at least I would be, if you weren't holding me."

He says nothing as he continues towards what would now be her room. He sets her down outside the door, leaning against the doorframe for a moment. "Are you sure you don't want anything sent up to you?"

She shakes her head. "The moment I take the laudanum, I'm going to be out like a light."

"Alright." He straightens upright. "We'll talk tomorrow?"

Kate nods. "Yes." As he steps away, she reaches for his hand, causing him to pause as she gently squeezes his finger. "Thank you….for everything."

He inhales, looking as if he is debating something for a moment before simply stating. "Goodnight Kate." And with that, he walked away.

Kate sighed and stepped into the room. Tomorrow was another day and hopefully, it would be better than today had been.

* * *

**Guest: I hope the chapters lived up to your expectations.**

**Angel029: She needed to know.**

**Idcam: Kate does have a temper, she keeps it in check until someone pushes her too far and today was one of those days. And here's the triple update, since I left all of you hanging for 3 days, figured I'd make up for the missed days. I don't know, I guess I'll find out when things calm down. We've been friends for almost 10 years now and it would be a shame if things ended in such a way. **


	25. 25: Under ice

Chapter: Under ice

* * *

Kate awoke to a sharp sting across her face. "Did," Thomas's yelling was directly above her. "someone call that fuc," Kate groggily reached up and placed a hand on his mouth. He snatched her hand and looked down at her. "Kate? Can you hear me?"

"Yes." She croaked. "Water." Ada hurried over as Kate released a yawn. She gulped the water, remembering how thirsty laudanum made her. Then, she remembered why she didn't take laudanum. "Sorry."

"The ambulance is being called." Kate shook her head at Thomas's statement. His eyes flashed. "Kate, you wouldn't wake up."

She nods. "I know. Sorry. Laudanum makes it," she struggles to sit up, so he gets her into an upright position. "hard for me, to wake up. I forgot that." she inhales and exhaled. "I haven't taken it in years….for that reason." She exhales again as the room swirls into a clearer focus. "I'm sorry."

"Cancel the ambulance!" Arthur hollers down the hall, causing her to look up and realize the entire Shelby family is in her room.

She rearranges her covers around her. She didn't have a nightdress, so she'd slept in her slip. "I'm sorry to worry everyone."

"I wasn't." Polly said as she turned and exited the room taking Michael and Gina with her.

She exhaled and sighed. "Great. That's going to help things."

"It's alright." Ada says as she fluffs the pillow behind her. "It's not your fault."

"You were out like a light." Arthur states from the hall. "Never seen that before."

"I only put half the recommended dose in the water." She yawns. "I don't know what happened."

"You were a nurse, so," Arthur pondered. "it's unlikely, you'd accidentally overdose yourself."

"You had a major surgery and then drove all the way down here." Ada stated. "I can imagine that yesterday was very exhausting for you. You need to take it easy."

"I've got a doctor coming here in an hour," Thomas stated. "to give you a thorough checkup and make sure you're on the road to recovery."

"Thank you, that's very kind of you."

"You were injured and I need you at the peak of your game. It's a dangerous world you married into."

She nodded. "I'm aware of it." she bites her lip as she picks at the covers. She exhales and rubs her eyes. "I used to live in it."

"I want to keep you out of it Kate, as much as I can." He stated.

She nods. "That's comforting."

Thomas glances at her for a moment before turning to Ada. "Do you mind leaving us alone for a bit?"

Ada shakes her as she stands up. "Fine." she turns to Kate. "However, I'm only here for a few more days. So, I'll be up in a bit with something for you to eat."

She smiles. "Thanks Ada." They both wait patiently for Ada to leave the room and close the door behind her. "I think I'm going to like her."

"I think so." Thomas sits on the edge of the bed, causing her to inhale. "Sorry."

"It's ok." She assures him. "I'm just a little sore." He glances towards her lap, causing her to shift uncomfortably. "Not there, my chest."

He reached for her hand and to his relief; she didn't pull away from him. "I feel awful about it Kate."

"I know that and it was my choice." She inhaled as she rubbed his hand gently. "I suppose that under the circumstances, you took your time."

"I want to make it up to you," he states. "but there's no way I can do that."

"You don't need to make it up to me; I don't blame you for this whole thing." She assures him. "I blame my brother."

"You're still my wife Kate. I should have said no to the whole thing and waited until you were ready." She trembled as he cupped her chin between his thumb and finger. "Did I hurt you?"

Kate smile felt wobbly, as she looked him. "No." he shoots her a look that informs her he knows that she's lying to him. She exhales and smiles at him. "It wasn't too bad. You promised you wouldn't hurt me."

"You're lying." Kate blinks in surprise. "You'd fall on a sword rather than admit your own pain."

"It was….uncomfortable at first, but," she started to blush red. "it was…alright at the end." Ugh, damn those piercing, cold blue eyes. "I swear, you didn't hurt me."

"I guess I have to take you at your word." He exhales deeply. "I won't force myself on you again, until you're ready."

She smiles at him. "Thank you."

"I wanted you Kate," his blunt admission causes her cheeks to flame rapidly. "but not like that."

Kat was silent, unsure of what to say for a moment, then she inhales asks just as bluntly. "Thomas, do you love me?" he studies her for a moment then she exhales. "Don't answer that just yet, I don't think I'm ready to hear that." She sighs and rubs her eyes. "Do you….care for me, at all I mean?"

"Of course I care for you Kate." She smiles at those words. "That's why I want you to tell me whatever it is you need."

She bites her lip before all the words come pouring out of her. "I need just some time. I've had a lot thrown at me this week. I lost my breast, all of your family almost was killed and I now find myself married when….I never thought I'd ever marry. And then," she inhales sharply as she shakes her head. "I find that my father and brother…betrayed me all those years ago. It's all a bit much to take in for me at the moment."

He nods understandingly. "I'll give you all the time you need."

She bites her lip. "I'm thinking a month or two."

"Take a year if you need it. This room will permanently be your quarters until you're ready, if that's all right with you. I'll be right next door if you need me."

"Thank you and," she hesitated before confessing. "I do care for you as well," at the light in his eyes at her words, Kate can barely hold his gaze. "and I do want our marriage to be a real one in time, it's just-

"Now's not the right time." He nods in understanding. "I know that Kate, you've endured a lot. Take your time….I can wait for you."

She holds his gaze. "You won't have to wait too long. I promise."

"I'll make sure your breakfast is sent up to you." He carefully stands up from the bed. "I've also told Elton and his daughter to collect your things from the cottage and bring them here."

She shakes her head. "Just my clothes and a typewriter. Leave the furnishings, in case you chose to rent the cottage out again."

He chuckles. "I don't think I will, but, I'll leave it furnished, just in case there's ever a day you need to get out of the house."

"Thank you Thomas." As he walked away, Kate also wondered how long it would take the family to trust her. She hoped and prayed that it wouldn't be too long. She'd never had a real family and she wanted to make this one her family.

* * *

**Idcam: It's going to take a bit longer for her to obviously earn Polly's trust, since we learned why she distrusts her. Thank you. I got a call from her mother this morning, apologizing for her behavior. Knowing her mother, she's probably wrote her a scathing email, which is sitting on her conscience.**


	26. 26: In search of Peter Pan

Chapter twenty-six: In search of Peter Pan

* * *

_Three weeks later, _

* * *

The boom of thunder caused Kate's eyes to fly open. She exhales deeply and sighs. She'd just managed to fall asleep, now with the storm; she'd never be able to fall back asleep immediately. Her room is drafty and cold. She flips on the light by her nightstand and carefully gets out of the bed.

She'd been stuck in this bed for almost 3 weeks and it was driving her insane. The pain was almost non-existent now, but the doctor insisted she stay in bed. Ada had kept her company for 2 days and they'd discussed some upcoming social events and plans. She was sad to see Ada leave, they'd become friends during her brief stay.

Thomas, Ruby and Charlie regularly checked in on her throughout the day. They joined her for lunch and tea up in her room and the two children babbled about what they'd done that day. She suspected Thomas had been using their marriage to his advantage to deal with some of his business on the side. He always checked in on her every night before going to bed to see if she needed anything. She never did, but they'd still wind up talking for almost 30 minutes before he finally went to his chambers.

Halloween was 5 days away and the decorators would be arriving later this morning to get the house ready for the party. She'd run the list by Thomas last week and he'd approved, after forcing her to promise that she'd stay seated. She'd actually invited a few friends that she hadn't seen in years, but she knew that they had children around Charlie and Ruby's age.

Kate exhaled as she carefully got of the bed. The thunder crashed loudly, causing her to jump as she lit her candle. She stood up and made her way towards the fireplace. There was wood in the hearth, so after checking the flue, she lit the fire. After making sure, the fire was blazing nicely, she lid the candle on the vanity and carefully walked down the hall.

She walked barefoot, so her feet didn't make a sound on the floor. As she passed she passed the nursery, she heard crying. She went to the door, opened it and turned on the light. The children were nowhere to be seen.

"Charlie?" her heart rose into her throat for a moment. "Ruby?"

"Here." Charlie hiccupped as he came out from under his bed, with Ruby behind him.

"Oh," she beckoned for them to approach her. "come here. Scared of the storm?"

Ruby nods. "It's loud!"

Another bang of thunder causes them to jump. Kate leans over and picks up Ruby, who's getting heavier. "It is loud tonight." She exhales deeply as she shifts Ruby so she's not leaning onto her chest. "Alright you two, let's go to my room." their faces light up as she switches off the light. "I'll read you two Peter Pan, until you fall asleep."

Charlie scampers ahead to her room and claims the right side of the large bed. Kate grabs Peter Pan from the bookcase before getting under the covers. She smiles as both the children lay on their sides and she delves into the magical story of Peter Pan and before long, both of them are sound asleep. She carefully leans over to turn out her light with a smile on her face.

So, this is what a taste of motherhood was like? She liked it.

* * *

Kate jumps as her alarm clock goes off. It's 8:00. She sighs and begrudgingly sits up in bed, waking up two sleepy heads on either side of her. "No." Ruby moans as she turns on her side.

Kate laughs. "We have to get up, you two have school."

"Don't want it."

"Too bad. Come on, I've got work to do."

Ruby's head shoots up. "You're not supposed to be up!"

"Today, I get up."

"Daddy's going to be mad at you."

"Probably." Kate laughs as she lifts Ruby out her spot and wiggles towards the edge of the bed. "Come on, I've got people coming at 8:30 and you two need to eat." Ruby yawns and shuffles blindly towards the door with Charlie. She laughs and grabs her pink robe from the bed. "Come on, I'll walk you back to your room."

"Thanks for reading to us." Charlie says as she secures her robe. "It was fun. Lizzie never let us stay with her."

"That's because, I'm sure she stayed with your father. There wasn't room for both of you." Kate opens the door and steps into the hall. "We're almost done with Peter Pan. We shall have to find you a new book."

"There they are!" someone shouts. "With Mrs. Shelby!"

Kate frowns and peers over the railing, along with Charlie and Ruby as Thomas comes tearing up the stairs, worry on his face. Kate gasps and covers her mouth as she realizes that the entire household must have been looking for those two for the last fifteen minutes. "Oh dear."

"Charlie! Ruby!" Thomas nearly trips on the last step. "Are you two alright?"

They look confused by his reaction as he kneels at their level. "Yes." Charlie says hesitantly. "We were with Kate."

"I am so sorry about all of this." She says as she pulls the robe tighter against her. He stands up abruptly. "They were scared of the thunderstorm last night, so I-

"They're not allowed of their rooms at night." Now, he was getting upset. She could understand, he was their father and she'd probably worried him half to death. "Didn't they tell you this?!"

Both children shifted uncomfortably. They hadn't told her that, they'd forgotten to inform her. Kate made a decision in a split second. "Yes, but I wasn't going to leave them in the room when they were terrified." Both the children stared up at her in shock. Thomas was upset and she'd rather take the heat than those two.

"Those rules are put in place for a reason." He bites out.

"I'm sorry; I just felt that it was best-

"They're my children!" He shouted at her, causing her to jump. "You don't do anything without consulting me! Do you understand that?" Kate just turned on her heel and headed towards her room, his words hurt her. He made it clear that she wasn't anywhere on the same level as Lizzie and Grace when it came to parenting. "Kate?" he bellowed from behind her. "Don't you walk away from me!" She slammed the door in his face and locked it. He banged the door with his fist, causing her to jump. "Kate!"

"Go to hell!" she screams at him as she heads towards her closet. She'd stay in here, give him a moment to settle down and then try to discuss things reasonably with him. He had a right to be upset; she understood that, he was their father. However, she was his wife and by all accounts, their mother!

The door splintered open with a crash! Kate let out a scream as Thomas came barging through the door! Kate raced for her purse on the vanity and grabbed her gun. Her heart was pounding out of her chest. She knew he had a dark side to him, but she didn't think he was abusive!

Her gun was empty, but she cocked it and aimed it at his head anyway. Thomas froze as he looked her dead in the eye, stunned that she was actually pointing at gun at his head. "Stay away from me!" she snarled as venomously as she could to him. "Or I'll shoot, I promise you!"

Tommy stared at her, Kate was furious, but then so was he. She'd taken his children in the middle of the night, causing him to worry and upset the whole household! What was she even doing out of the bed?

"Put the gun down." He orders.

"Or what?" she demands. "You'll hit me to teach me a lesson?"

He frowned. "What?"

"I said I was sorry!"

Charlie and Ruby ran into the room. "Don't yell at Kate." Charlie stood in-between the two of them. "She didn't mean it!"

Ruby started crying. "It's our fault!"

Thomas glanced at them. "Get out of here!" he wasn't sure what Kate was going to do to him at this moment. She did step back and she turned the gun so it wasn't aimed at him or the children. That gave him some relief; Kate didn't want to shoot him. However, he wasn't going to give her a reason to shoot him. He knew for a fact that she'd killed a man before, so, she'd have no qualms about shooting him.

"We didn't tell her the rules." Charlie stated. "She lied and said we did…so we wouldn't get in trouble."

Thomas turns towards her and asked. "That true?" he was surprised that she'd lie about so little a thing.

At that moment, Polly comes around the corner and pulls out her gun. "Drop it!" she orders. "Or I'll drop you where you stand."

Thomas holds up his hand. "Poll, it's alright, put the gun down."

"This woman has a gun aimed at your head," she points out sharply. "or have you failed to notice that?"

"Kate's scared." Ruby points out innocently. "Daddy yelled at her."

"You tell everyone to respect me, because I'm your wife. By all accounts, I should be allowed to behave as their mother. But then," the words start flowing out her like a fountain. "the moment I show some motherly instincts, you start to shout at me! So, tell me Thomas Shelby, what I am?" she demands. "Is everyone allowed to respect me, except for you? Are you the only one allowed to disrespect me?"

"You're not their mother." Polly bit out. "You have no right to take them out of their room."

"Then…what is she?" Charles asks, exasperation bleeding into his voice. "Our nanny? Isn't she our mother?" he can hear his own temper rearing itself in Charlie's voice at this moment. "if it was Lizzie, you wouldn't have cared!"

Thomas shot him a look; Kate beat him to the punch. "Charlie, I'm not Lizzie. Not everything applies to me. I'm not equal to everyone in this house."

Again, she managed to wound him with her sharp words. "You're right Charlie," he studies her carefully. "she is your mother and she's my wife." Those words broke her; he could see it in her eyes. "Put the gun down Polly, Kate's not going to shoot me." he holds her gaze. "I'm sorry Kate."

Her eyes widen in surprise. "You don't do apologies."

"Just this once, because you deserve it."

She bites her lip, debating for a moment before uncocking the gun and setting it on the nightstand. He exhales and steps towards her. "Don't you _ever_, approach me like that again." her voice sounds as if she's fighting against tears.

At that moment, he hears what Ruby saw. Kate had been terrified to death. He should have known his temper would have frightened her in such a manner. She was skittish and considering how her brother treated her, God only knew how her father had treated her. She'd suggested that she'd grown up in an abusive household, now, he'd given her the impression that she'd married into one.

"Do you understand me?" he nods as she crosses her arms over her chest, attempting to look tough, but failing miserably. He'd seen her upset and angry, this was the first time seeing her vulnerable. "If you scare me like that again, I swear-

"I know, I know." he assures her as he places his hands on her shoulders. She exhales and rubs her eyes. "I won't lay a hand on you Kate, even when I'm angry. You have my word."

"Thank you." she croaks as she places her hands underneath his elbows. "I'm sorry for pointing my gun at you… even if it was empty."

He simply nods as he pulls her into his arms for a tight hug and a kiss on her brow. She exhales and holds onto him; he can feel the tension leaving her body. "We good?"

"In a minute." She mumbles against his chest. He inhales deeply, noting her hair smells like roses today. "It's going to be bumpy for a bit."

He nods. "Yeah. But….I think we'll make it work."

Kate sighs. "I agree, Thomas Shelby. We'll make it."

* * *

**Idcam: Polly's always had issues with the women Tommy loves, Grace is a good example. It's going to be a bit bumpy at first, but they'll iron things out.**


	27. 27: Mrs Bartolozzi

Chapter twenty-seven: Mrs. Bartolozzi

* * *

"Kate?" She jumps at the hand on her shoulder.

It's Thomas. "I'm sorry. I was a million miles away."

"I noticed." He straightens upright. "I'm heading into Birmingham. Do you need anything?"

She hesitates for a moment. Today's November 1st, which was Emmet's birthday. She should probably stop into town to visit them and let them know that she had married. Still, it felt odd doing such a thing, but it wasn't as if she was cheating on Thomas. They'd been worried about her for years, so now they could stop fretting over her now.

"Actually," she stands up. "let me grab my hat and coat. I'll tag along with you."

"Why?"

"I'd like to pay my respects to Emmet's parents." His eyes narrow. "They don't know I've married yet."

"Couldn't you write them?"

She cocks a brow at him. "That's not the type of news that you'd write someone. I've got a feeling that after I tell them…they're going to be closing a book on our relationship." She grabs her scarf, coat and purse. She then heads over and tucks a derringer into her purse and slips on her leg holster. Thomas just stands there quietly watching her, his right brow arched. "What is it?"

"Kate, we're just going into town and you're all dressed up as if you're expecting trouble."

"If you're ready for trouble, it can't find you." she states calmly. "I always carry two guns when I go into town."

"I'll be there."

"For most of the visit." She states. "You've got your thing to do, as have I. we'll most likely meet up after we've finished our business. Go get the car ready, I'll be right down. Shoo!"

"Alright." Kate heard Thomas chuckled as he trotted down the stairs. She smiled. She liked how things were progressing between them

* * *

Thomas snuck another glance at Kate. Her eyes were closed and she was relaxing peacefully beside him. She was growing more comfortable in her role as a mother. Wife, she was getting there. Loathe to admit it; Kate had been right about the separate rooms. They both needed time to build up their relationship again. Their marriage had been early and right now, they were finishing off the last few steps of their courtship.

Kate didn't talk during the car ride, but she never did. He had a feeling that she disliked riding in cars. She could chatter up a storm when she was nervous. That mood never failed to irritate him, but she always had this innocently beguiling look about her, that made him forgive her. They still had disagreements, but he made sure never to frighten her that way again.

Polly still hadn't adjusted to Kate's role in their life. She was civil to her in his presence, but he could see and feel Kate's unease whenever Polly walked into the room. Kate tried to make friends with Polly, but to no avail. Elton, was constantly reporting Polly saying sharp things to Kate, but Kate would simply leave the room and occupy herself in another project. He knew that this tactic wouldn't last long. Polly was bound to push Kate too far and he hoped he was there when it happened because he wasn't quite sure who would shoot whom first.

Kate exhaled and rubbed her hands together, causing him to look at her. "Where are your gloves?" He asked with a frown.

She paused and looked down at her hands before shrugging. "I forgot them again."

"Here." He reaches into his coat for his wallet. "Pick yourself up a pair." She shook her head. "Why not?"

"One," she reaches into her purse and pulls out her wallet. "I have my own money. Second, if I bought a new pair of gloves every time I forgot mine, there'd be a pile overflowing from my closets." He chuckles as she scoots forward so she can sit on her hands. "I'm always forgetting gloves." She bolts upright. "Ah, here's the bakery!" Kate picks up her basket. "I won't be long."

"Me either." He states. He glances at her as she inhales, readying herself. "It'll be alright Kate. They'd want you to be happy."

She exhales. "I'm concerned that they're going to view my marriage as a betrayal."

"Kate," he grips her hand. "you're too young to stay unmarried. It was inevitable that someone was going to marry you, I just happen to be the lucky bastard who got you."

Kate scowls and swats his hand. "You and your mouth." He still spots the faint smile on her lips as she opens her side of the car and gets out. "stay safe." She states as she peers inside the car.

He nods. "I'll see you in 20 minutes. Eh?"

* * *

Kate closes the door of the car and watches as the driver turns around and drives down the street. She stands there, in the dark gloomy weather of Birmingham. Thomas gets out, almost 12 houses away from her. She watches him step inside a building before turning and pushing open the bakery door. The familiar scents of pastry and bread fill her nostrils, causing her to smile for a minute.

The store is currently empty. She steps up to the counter and rings the bell. "Service, please!"

"I'm coming!" Kate smiles as she turns towards the back room, which is covered by a curtain. "Katie!" Emmet's mother, Lisa, a frail, graying blonde woman hurries towards her to give her a hug. "Oh, my goodness. It's so good to see you!"

"And you as well." she returned the hug. "It's been too long."

"Indeed. Josef!" she called over her shoulder. "Katie's here!" she smiles at her. "you look wonderful."

"Thank you." she clings tightly to her large basket. "You look well."

"And you look happy, it's good to see."

She licks her lips, knowing there's a reason for her to look better. "Katie!" she turns towards Mr. Weber, noticing he's using a cane. "How lovely to see you. What are you doing here? He kissed her cheek. "You look well."

"Thank you. Are you alright?"

"Ya, I just slipped in the rain yesterday. The wife is making me use this cane."

"Well, I'm sure she only wants the best for you. I've got a large order for you both."

"How big?"

"Pretty big. I'll take a dozen brezels, half a dozen of your raspberry and blackberry strudel, black forest cake and a princess torte." The torte was for Ada and her son Karl. It was such a little thing, but, she wanted to thank her. "Oh, and two loaves of your dark rye bread!"

"My word," Mrs. Weber says with a smile. "that's a lot of food. Are you having a party?"

"Not really."

"Let us get your order together, and then, we'll talk about what you've been up to."

Kate nods gratefully. She's not sure how social they'll be with her once they hear her news. Fortunately, they hired a delivery boy, so, Kate tipped him generously to deliver Ada's torte. It would arrive in time for teatime.

After tucking her very large order into her basket and paying, Mr. Weber sighed and folded his hands together. "Now that business is done, we can talk. What have you been up to?"

"Well," she inhaled and stated gently. "I-I got married last month." Their faces still and she couldn't read their expressions for a moment. She bites her lip and smiles faintly. "I'm sorry…I wanted you two to hear it from me. We are starting to entertain and I didn't want you two to see my name with his in the papers."

Their faces were hard to read. His mother was the first to speak. "Well….is he good?"

Kate hesitates for a moment. "Do you mean, is he a good man, or is he good to me?"

"I mean both." Mrs. Weber states, Mr. Weber appears too stunned for words at the moment.

"Yes, he's very good to me, but…I don't think you two would consider him to be a good man."

"Then why marry him?" Mr. Weber demands, finally finding his voice. "You were Emmet's wife."

Kate blinks in surprise. "Mr. Weber…Emmett and I were never legally married." she inhales softly. "He was…gone before I even said, "I do". As to why I married him, I married him for many reasons." She inhaled deeply. "He has two children, a boy and a girl, that I adore very much. He treats me well, he's very protective and he's made sure that my father and brother aren't going to bother me again. He's the first man to…make me feel alive and happy again after Emmett."

"What's his name?" Mr. Weber demanded.

"Shelby, Thomas Shelby."

Their faces freeze at those words. Mr. Weber's face grows red as he bites out. "That… peaky blinder devil that's in parliament?"

"Thomas is a peaky blinder," Kate feels her temper rising, but knows she must keep it in check. "but he is still a good man."

"Maybe God will reward you by having that man die an early death!" Mr. Weber growls.

Her brow rises. "Now wait a minute, that's not fair. What's he done to you?"

"Nothing! But he and his group have done nothing but cause trouble to those around them."

"Yet, he manages to do more for our veterans than the government, even if it costs him a fortune." Kate can't believe she's actually defending his behavior.

"So, you condone his behavior?"

"No, I don't. But regardless of what he does in his private business, he is still my husband."

"Oh Katie," Mrs. Weber has tears in her eyes. "I can't believe you genuinely care for this man. You can't! You're just missing Emmet so much and he took advantage of you."

Kate shakes her head as tears puddle in her eyes. "No, I don't miss Emmet as much as I used to." the raw pain in their eyes hurts her soul for a moment. "I'm sorry, but…I do love Thomas. I wouldn't have married him if I didn't love him."

"In that case," Mr. Weber says solemnly. "I'll thank you not to darken our doors again. You blacken our son's love for you by marrying such a man."

Kate exhales. "If that's what you wish, but Thomas really is a good man."

"Please leave us." Mr. Weber says firmly. "Don't come back. You disrespect his memory by telling us such a thing on today, his birthday, of all days."

"Alright, I won't." Kate picks up her basket of goods and turns to go, but pauses to turn back to them. "Regardless of what you think of him, you are in Thomas Shelby's debt."

"Get out of my store!" Mr. Weber snaps angrily. "Now!"

"I will, after you here this because you need to know this. Thomas, he loves me so much… that he found the man who killed Emmett." All anger from their faces vanished. Their faces went pale and Mrs. Webber gripped the counter firmly. "He heard some information that Emmet had been purposefully killed. It took him a few months, but he found the man who'd killed him. That man, who was hired to kill Emmet, is now dead."

With that, Kate turned and exited the bakery. It was starting to rain, so, she stood in the doorway, waiting for the rain to stop. Then, she decided it wasn't raining that hard. She had cloth covering the pastries and since Thomas was just twelve houses down the street. Therefore, she figured that she wouldn't get very wet.

She hurried down the street, one hat atop her blue hat. The feather was probably going to be ruined, but who cared? She couldn't say she that she wasn't surprised by their reaction, but they were missing their only child desperately. She hoped that knowing that the man who killed their son was dead would help aid their healing.

"Care to share my umbrella, miss?" Kate turns towards the man, whose voice sounds too polished for this area.

She shakes her head. "No thank you," he's clearly not from this area. She detects a faint Italian accent. His smile, sets her on edges slightly though. "I'm just meeting my husband. Thank you for your kind offer though."

"Husband?" he frowns. "This is a dilemma then."

She frowns, her guard going up. "How so?"

The man suddenly grabs her arm and pulls her towards him. "Say a word," Kate inhales sharply as she feels the muzzle of a gun being stuck into her back. "and I'll shoot you."

* * *

**Idcam: It's a major adjustment for all of them. Unfortunately, things still aren't going to run smoothly.**


	28. 28: Houdini

Chapter twenty-eight: Houdini

* * *

"What do you-

"Move!" he gives her a shove towards an alley. Kate drops her purse, purposefully stalling for time. Thomas had to be close by. "Pick it up."

She does that and as she straightens, she sees Thomas exiting another building. As if sensing her eyes, he turns towards her. She glances towards her captor before shouting. "Thomas!"

He immediately starts running towards her. "Kate!"

"Bitch." The man swore and gave her a shove towards an alley. "Move it!" She stumbles, but manages to stay upright as he drags her towards a along the road and headed to the alley. There's a dark blue car, with a running engine. The man wrenches the door open and shoves her. "Get inside!"

"No!" Kate shouts. "I won't!"

The man draws his hand back and hits her hard across the face with the back of his hand. Kate drops her basket. Fortunately, the weight takes it straight down to the ground, without falling over. She grabs her cheek, as he spins her around and shoves her onto her back in the car! Kate brings her legs up and kicks him hard in the stomach, sending him backwards. She rolls out of the car, going for her purse.

"Get her in!" the driver shouts. "Quickly!"

"Oi!" Thomas shouts. "Hands off her!"

Kate looks up to see him entering the alley, his gun. She instantly freezes as a gun cocks directly behind her head. "Freeze or I blow her head off!" the man grabs her by her hair and pulls her up from the ground. "Get up."

Kate grips her purse tightly and carefully gets up from the ground. Thomas has a gun out and it's pointed at the man's head. He looks directly at her. "Kate? He hurt you?"

"No."

"Shut up." the man barks. "I've no quarrel with you Shelby!"

"Really? Then get your hands off my wife." Thomas warns darkly. "Now."

"Wife?" the man sounds genuinely confused.

"Did whomever hired you forget to mention," she inhales sharply as the man pushed the gun against her temple. "that I married Thomas Shelby?"

The man stiffened and pointed his gun at Tommy instead. "All I know, is there's a big reward for this girl, dead or alive. You, don't fit into the puzzle at all."

"That's too bad." She carefully reaches into her purse and draws her derringer. Tommy's face remained impassive, but he gave her the slightest brow arch. "My wife's not going anywhere."

Kate turns and shoots the man in his elbow. The man howled and she pulled free, throwing herself to the ground as the blue car takes off, nearly tearing the door off! Thomas fires his gun multiple times, causing the man to sink down to the ground. Kate fires her gun several times, blowing out the back window of the blue car. The driver turns sharply, out of her line of vision. She groans as she gets up into a sitting position.

"Kate?" Thomas hurries towards her, his hand still on his gun. "You alright? Are you shot?"

"I'm alright." She reaches for his hand and he pulls her up. He carefully studies her, top to bottom, looking for signs of injury. "My cake probably is destroyed."

"Better a destroyed cake than you being injured." he says as he pulls towards him. She exhales and holds onto him. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Positive." The man on the ground lets out a groan, causing her to pull away from him. "Don't turn your back on him. He could have another gun. Any idea who he is?"

"No idea." He shrugged. "He won't be alive for much longer, so, no way to find out."

She straightened up and turned to the man as he let out a death rattle. She nods in agreement, as she picks up her hat and dusts it off. "Well, has your opinion on me carrying 2 guns changed?"

He chuckles. "Carry as many as you want. I'm glad you're a good shot." He turns and puts his gun inside his holster. He picks up her basket and heads towards his car. "Let's get out of here."

Kate nods. "Let's go home."

Thomas wraps an arm around her waist and guides her towards the alley entrance, there's a forming crowd there. Unfortunately, there are two police officers approaching them. "Hold it!" one shouts. "Hold it right there!"

Kate groans. "Great."

"Get inspector moss on the phone." Thomas orders before either man gets a chance to ask him a single question.

The man snorts. "I don't care who you think you are. I'm not calling up the inspector. He's a busy man."

"As am I. The name's Shelby. Thomas Shelby." The other officer recognizes the name and steps towards them.

"And what's your name, miss?" the ignorant officer inquires.

"Mrs. Katherine Kovach," that catches the officer's attention and he straightens up. "Shelby."

"Kovach?" he swallowed nervously. "Any relation to-

"Gilbert Kovach is my father." She nods towards Tommy. "Thomas Shelby is my husband." By now, both police officers' faces have gone a shade of pasty gray. "This man was attempting to kidnap me and my husband shot him."

"I see." The officer swallows and exhales. "My apologies."

"There's a blue car driving around Birmingham, with a shot out window." She says. "You should find the driver was complicit in my kidnapping."

"Rest assured Mrs. Shelby, we will launch a thorough investigation into this." The second officer speaks hastily. "You're free to go." Kate arches a brow. "This was clearly self defense, no reason for an inquiry."

"Thank you. Tell Moss to call me at 4:00. I'll be awaiting his call." Tommy takes her by the elbow and guides her through the growing crowd to his car. "Well Kate, how's it feel to be such a powerful woman?"

"Tedious." She exhaled. "I only wanted to have a simple life with my husband. Now, I shall have to make do with what fate's handed me."

"Oh, speaking of handing." He reached into his pocket and handed her a pair of pale blue gloves, which she noted, closely matched her coat and dress. "I got you these."

She smiled. "I really didn't need-

"A simple thanks would be sufficient Kate." He states as he holds the car door open for her.

"I was going to say thank you, had you not cut me off." She smiled up at him, patting his cheek, even though he was glowering down at her. "Thank you Thomas."

"Get in the car." He orders, shrugging her hand off his cheek.

She rolls her eyes, but does as he asks. He takes the basket and puts it in the front seat, causing her to sigh. "I just know everything in there is ruined."

"Don't worry Mrs. Shelby," the driver says kindly. "I'm certain that they'd rather have you home in one piece."

Thomas gets in the car and slams the door shut. "Home."

"As you wish Sir."

Thomas grips her chin and turns her towards him. Kate inhales sharply as he leans forward, his gaze deep and penetrating. The intensity in his cold blue eyes causes her to blush violently. He stills for a moment; in that second, she thinks that he's going to kiss her and that caused her to jump slightly in her seat and drop her gaze.

"Look at me." he ordered, his tone brisk. She did so, her heart pounding in her throat. He brought his hand up and strokes her cheek with his thumb. "You've got some blood there."

"Oh!" her voice came out as a croak, causing her to be vexed. She cleared her throat. "Thank you."

He exhales roughly and swipes away the few bits of blood on her face before sitting back into his seat. Certain that he's not looking at her, she trembles as she touches her mouth with a trembling hand. While they hadn't kiss, the moment had been so intense it was if they had. Feeling his eyes on her, she yawns and covers her mouth. "I'm sorry. It's just the stress."

"No worries. Did you recognize the men?"

"No."

"Moss should get back to me with who owns the car soon, then, I'll know more from there."

"I've a sneaking suspicion that my father or brother is into something. And whatever it is, someone has no idea I'm married to you."

He nods in agreement. "Yeah, no one would be that stupid to try to abduct my wife while I'm mere feet away from her. But don't worry, no one's going to harm you while I'm around." She appreciates this protective side of him. Her father watched out for her, but only Thomas had been straight in making it clear that nothing would ever happen to her. He studies her closely for a moment. "How'd it go with Emmet's parents?"

She sighs and leans back in her seat. "They'd rather I not darken their doors again."

He frowns. "Why?"

"As I thought, they view my marrying you as a betrayal to their son." She sighs. "They're still missing him terribly."

"They, like you, will have to move on. Staying in the past helps no one." She nods in agreement. "And as I said before Kate, you were way too young to be single for long. Someone, in time, would have eventually started to pursue you."

She chuckles. "Yes, but I've yet to meet a man more blatant and determined than you. It is…rather an attractive quality."

"When I know what I want," her smile fades slightly at the tone in his voice. "I go after it."

Kate bites her lip before admitting softly. "Well, it's nice to be wanted by someone."

He said nothing, but holds out his arm towards her and beckons for her to draw closer. She frowned, but scooted towards him. He drew her in towards him and kept an arm around her waist. "Rest." He ordered her, in as gentle a tone as he could muster. "I'll wake you when we get home."

She nodded silently and shifted around, drawing her blanket around them both. He exhaled as she wiggled about until she was finally comfortable with her head on his chest and one hand on his knee. Just before she dropped into a stress-induced nap, she felt him slide his hand down her shoulder to her hand. She smiled as he gripped her hand firmly, she kept her eyes closed and imagined that he loved her.

* * *

**Idcam: Yes, she does have a string of bad luck. Luckily, he was nearby. The two make a good team though.**


	29. 29: Moving

Chapter twenty-nine: Moving

* * *

The car braked to a halt and Kate stirred slightly. She'd fallen from his shoulder and her head now rested in his lap. "Do you require help, Sir?"

"Just open my door and get the basket out of the front seat." Kate kept her eyes closed, waiting to see what he would do. For such an intimidating man, she noted, he pulled her up into his arms very gently. After situating her in his lap, he carefully moved her arms around his neck, and then paused.

Then ever so lightly, Thomas softly brushed a strand of hair from her face and stole a kiss from her lips. Her heart jumped in her chest and her eyes flew open. Thomas paused in place and drew back slightly so he could study her face.

She inhaled and touched her lips, which were still tingling. His eyes carefully studied her face carefully as she smiled in amusement. "Thief."

He was silent before stating. "It's not my fault, it's yours."

"Mine?" she laughs in amusement. "How so?"

"It's your lips." he states. "You've got this little dip on your upper lip that tempts me." He touches the area with his finger. "And, you're wearing this pink lipstick today, making it more pronounced.."

As he gets out of the car, Kate thinks up a response to that answer. "Well then," she looks up at him. "why don't you just ask for a real kiss? One you don't have to steal."

His blue eyes widen and he leans forward, as if intending to claim a kiss from her. At that moment, the front door opened and the children came running out. "Damn it." he mutters as he straightens up.

Kate swings her legs out of the car and looks up at him with a smile. "You can collect the kiss later." He blinks in surprise. "I've no objections to any kisses from you. As a matter of fact," she states boldly. "I've been missing them on occasion."

He leans forward and takes her hands to help her out of the car. "I'll be collecting this one soon."

"Is it an English thing not to show affection in front of one's children?" she inquires as she gets out of the car.

"You didn't really like it when we were courting."

Kate nods. "Yes, but, I'm your wife now. American's, really can be rather vulgar at times with their constant displays of affection, but, it might be good for them to see we're growing more comfortable with each other."

He nods as he places a hand on her waist. "Point taken." Kate blushes softly as he leans forward and plants a firm, but brief kiss on her lips. She smiles and places her hand over his, gripping his hand tightly. "That's not the kiss I'm going to claim later."

Kate laughs and bumps him playfully with her hip. "We shall see about that Mr. Shelby."

"Really?" Kate turns slightly, just as Thomas catches her around the waist, causing her to squeal with laughter. She squeals as he picks her up from the ground. "Put me down! Put me down!"

"What are you doing?" ruby asks confusion on her face.

Kate looks up at Thomas, who just looks to her for the answer. She exhales and shrugs her head. "I've absolutely no idea. Did you two find the picnic basket?"

"It's inside. Elton has it."

"Right. I got everyone some goodies. Take it into the parlor and ask Elton for some tea." They nod and scamper off. "Don't forget to say please!"

"Yes Kate!" they chime.

Thomas exhales as they walk up the stairs. "So, how are you feeling?"

"Much better now. When stuff like that happens, I always just need a quick nap and I'm back to normal. It doesn't affect me as much as it used to back then."

He nods. "Right, I'll get down to the bottom of this as soon as I can."

"I know." she pauses inside the entryway to remove her coat. "I still think it's something to do with my father."

"Possibly." She takes her scarf and hangs it up with her coat. She removes her gloves and stuffs them in her pocket.

"How was the trip in to town?" they both turn towards Polly. She has that semi-disapproving look on her face.

"Someone tried to kidnap Kate." Thomas informs her.

Polly's eyes narrow. "Really? Did he get away?"

"No. Kate shot him first and I ended him."

Polly turns towards her. "You shot him?"

"Yes." She pulled off her gloves. "He was pointing a gun at Thomas so I felt it was my moral obligation to wound the man." She glanced at him and smirked. "I missed the driver though, maybe next time I won't."

"You did great though." He cheekily winked at her, causing her to roll her eyes at him.

"Stop it." she says as she swats at him.

"Oh come off it!" Polly snapped. "You can't keep treating him this coldly forever. You made your bed, now lie in it or get out of this house!"

She flinched and Tommy stepped in front of her. "Polly, I'm not sure what's bothering you, but you need to come off it."

"I've been watching her treat you like this for weeks. I don't know why you put up with it!"

"He puts up with what?" Kate demands. "What did I do this time?"

"Every time, he tries to be nice to you, you rebuff him." Kate jolts in surprise. "Never mind, that he's in this whole situation because of you!"

"Poll," he says firmly. "if Kate was rebuffing me, you'd know it. When we flirt with each other, it's not the normal flirting, as you saw."

Polly's brow arches. "_That _was flirting? Her smacking at you?"

"Thomas and I shouldn't have to explain our behavior to you." Kate says firmly. "It's our marriage, not yours."

Polly turns towards her, looking her up and down. "Now the claws are coming out."

"Only because you've given me no other option!" Kate states firmly. "I know you've looked after him like a mother for so many years, but our personal relationship really doesn't concern you."

"I may have retired from his business, but I'm still his aunt and the head of this house, missy." She steps towards her. "Don't you forget it."

"You were the head of this house, but not anymore." Kate states as she places her hands on her hips. "I'm his wife and a mother to his children. It's time you realize that I have a position in his life and respect it. I've tried getting along with you, hoping time would give you whatever it is you need…but I don't see that happening any time soon. So, Polly," Kate says tightly. "today, you will go upstairs, pack your things and get out of our house by the end of this week."

Polly and Tommy stare at her in surprise. "What?" Polly laughs at her. "You didn't really just tell me that."

"You heard me loud and clear, I'm serious." Kate doesn't even blink. "I've tried to make peace with you, but every time I try, you reject it. You're making things strained between Thomas and me, criticizing our behavior. We're having a tricky enough time for both of us having to adjust to married life as it."

"You two never adjusted to married life!" she snaps. "This whole marriage is a sham!"

Kate's temper rises. "How dare you say such a thing!"

"I know about the separate rooms." Kate's face heated. "You're his wife and you're neglecting your wifely duties towards him! It's not a marriage; you're just two people living together."

"That's enough Polly!" Thomas snaps. "I thought Elton was exaggerating your disdain for her, now, I don't think he stressed it enough."

"I don't like her. I'm not going to change my feelings towards her."

"You're going to have to because she's my wife!" Kate inhales, her cheeks warming at Thomas coming to her defense. "Kate has a good reason not to share my bed with me and I agree with her!" Polly's face stilled at his admission. He inhaled. "But as unorthodox as this marriage is at the moment, it will become a real marriage in time. This is such an adjustment for both of us that jumping into bed together will complicate things more. All things considered, Kate's been a good wife to me, a damn fine mother and you will give her the respect she deserves."

"She can't tell me what to do!" she states. "She may have the Shelby name, but she's not a Shelby."

"Enough." Thomas states.

Kate looks up to him and holds her gaze. "I have tried Polly, I really have. However, I can't see our marriage flourishing without you constantly criticizing every little move I do. I am not like his other wives, who I gather were more submissive than I am. But I'm different; I'm financially independent and have my own career. I can't be the same as they were just to please you."

"And I wouldn't have you change anything about you Kate." He stated. "Regardless of how we married, I was going to marry you at some point." She blushed and rubbed her neck uneasily. "I'm going to have a talk with you Polly in private, but you will do as my wife asks."

Kate exhales in relief as Polly shoots him a dark look. "I'm your family."

"She's part of the family too, she's my wife. She asked you to leave here for a month, that's not unreasonable." He's silent for a moment. "For my sake, I want you to do as she asks."

Polly is silent for a long moment. "She's like Grace. She made you weak."

Thomas stiffened up in anger; she slides her hand into his. His grip was firm, nearly crushing her hand, but she held onto him. "Grace was the love of his life. Do not bring her up or compare her to me again."

"She-

"Ever!" Kate bites out. "It's low of you to use her in a manner."

"I've always been there for you." Polly states quietly, the hurt now creeping into her cold voice. "And you're casting me aside for her?"

"You made me chose Polly." He stated. "She's done nothing to deserve this."

"Let's see how she stands by you when you have those dark days and you lose yourself in the opium and nightmares." Kate glowers at her. "She's not cut out for someone like you."

"Don't underestimate a nurse." Kate replies. "We're taught to bring healing. Thomas helped me and I'll help him. That's what a marriage is. A partnership." The phone rings, causing her to jump. "I'll get it." She heads towards the ringing hall phone and picks it up. "Hello?"

_Kate? This is Ada._

"Hello Ada." She leans against the small table. "Did you get the cake?"

_Yes, it was lovely! We're enjoying it now. Thank you!_

"I was in the area and you've been so kind to me, I wanted to repay it. It's a German cake, so, I wasn't sure you'd be too familiar with it.

_I wasn't, it's delicious and Karl loves the sugar rose._

"Thank you." a hand on her backside causes her to jump. "Whoa." Thomas winks at her as he passes by with Polly. She shakes her head at him. "Behave!"

_What was that?_

"Sorry, your brother grabbed me as he passed by."

Ada laughs. _Really? Tommy grabbed you? Where?_

Kate blushed as he shut the door. "The posterior."

Ada howls. _I don't care what Polly thinks, Tom's head over heels in love with you. _Kate chuckles faintly along with her. _Speaking of my aunt, how are things going with her? Has she adjusted to you yet?_

"Not so well. I asked her to move out to that."

Ada gasped. _You did what? Tommy will never go for that._

"Actually," she looks at the door. "he agreed. They're discussing it now."

Ada is silent for a long moment. _Are you serious? Tom agreed with you?_

"Yes." She exhales. "We do want this marriage to work. I do love your brother Ada, for our sake, we need time to adjust to our roles as husband and wife without any outside influence. I don't want her gone; we just need some boundaries in place."

"I'm warning you," Polly states as she follows him to his desk. "this woman is going to lead you on and hurt you."

"You've no way of knowing that." Thomas states as he sits down. "It's just for a few weeks Polly, you can handle it."

"I don't like her manipulating you. You should have stuck by me."

"Normally, I would have." He sits up in his chair. "But then…I saw a man put a fully loaded gun to her skull today." His stomach churned as that horrible picture came to his mind again. He could have lost his third wife today. "Do you know what she did? She didn't flinch or cry. She stayed calm and we got out of that situation together." He holds her gaze as he admits. "I love her Polly."

"So you've said before." Polly exhales. "I don't see any affection towards you on her part at all. I know, she's going to hurt you."

"No one can hurt me anymore." He states quietly. "Kate is very different than Grace or Lizzie. And she is affectionate towards me. We kiss and flirt a bit; she just needs a little bit longer."

"How much longer does she need?" she demands. "I know you; your patience can only last so long."

"Again, our business. I appreciate the concern and I know you worry a lot, but…it's time for you to move along and let us alone for a bit. Things will happen when it's right." She's silent for a long time. "I know you're always there for me when I need you. But you need to let her fit into that role now."

Polly nods as she holds his gaze. "I hope you're right about her Tommy. I really do."

* * *

**Guest: Lizzie was the only one Polly approved of. Possibly because she knew there wasn't an emotional entanglement with him. Therefore, he could still lead the family without distractions. With Lizzie and Kate, there is a distraction, so he's vulnerable.**

**Idcam: They do make a good team. She is very different from Grace and Lizzie as she points out. As to whom tried to kidnap her, we shall see soon. But hey, she finally stood up to Polly!  
**


	30. 30: Mother stands for comfort

Chapter thirty: Mother stands for comfort

* * *

_Four days later,_

* * *

"And who's this Noni Fitzgerald?" Thomas asks as he addresses the last name on the list for their family Thanksgiving dinner. He was relieved to observe that Kate had left Michael and Gina off the invitation list. "Friend of yours?"

Kate nods. "Yes. I was thinking that she and Arthur might hit it off."

Thomas laughs shortly. "You're playing matchmaker for Arthur?"

She nods. "Yes."

"Not a good idea Kate."

"Don't worry, Noni can handle herself."

"What is about her that makes you think she and Arthur would hit it off? Arthur's kind of done in after Linda."

"So I've heard. I was thinking about Noni and remembered there was an article in the papers about her yesterday."

"What was she doing in the papers?" he asks as he reaches for a cigarette.

"Oh, she left Billy Wolfe's to promote women's matches over here in England. I don't think she's having much success. England is so very prim and proper."

"What kind of matches are they?"

"Oh, female wrestlers." Thomas drops his match into his lap and he jumps up from his seat, brushing off the match. "You alright?" She hops off the edge of the desk. "Do you need water?"'

"You want to fix Arthur up with a female wrestler?" He demands as he picks up the still burning match and blows it out. Luckily, nothing has caught on fire. "Are you out of your bloody mind, woman?"

"Don't call me woman and no, I'm not." She hops back up onto the edge of his desk. "Yes, I think he'd like her. She's a lightweight, so, she's not too outrageously muscular. She's a brunette with the most striking brown eyes I've ever seen. They're almost black. I think she could handle anything he throws at her. What do you think?"

"I'll allow it…only because this whole thing sounds pretty damn amusing." There's a tap at the door and he glances up. "Enter."

"Well, if it doesn't work out, maybe they'll gain sparring partners."

Thomas snorts as Elton comes in with a handful of letters. "The mail has arrived. There's an unusual letter here for Mrs. Shelby."

Kate frowns and holds out her hand. "Thank you Elton." She frowns as she feels the odd shaped hard object in the envelope and frowns. "This…feels like a bullet." Thomas and Elton both look up at her as she opens the letter. She reaches into the envelope and pulls out an old bullet, with blood or rust around it. An eerie feeling settles over her, causing her to drop it onto the desk quickly.

"Kate?" Thomas stands up. "What is it?"

"Someone just…walked over my grave." She mumbles as she pulls out the letter and begins to read it.

_To prove we mean business, we dug this bullet out of Emmet Weber's head. _ Kate covers her mouth to keep from vomiting all over Thomas's desk. Her hands can't help but shake as she struggles to read the rest of the letter. _Thomas Shelby can't keep you safe for long. He's next._

"Kate?" Thomas asked, his voice a low rumble. "Let me see the letter."

Kate can't bear to read anymore. She hands him the letter and exhales deeply. "Shall I fetch you some ice water Mrs. Shelby?" Elton offers. "You look rather pale."

Kate nods. "Yes, please."

Elton hurries out and opens the door. "I beg your pardon Madame."

Thomas crumbles up the letter and throws it in the wastebasket. "Kate. It's going to be alright." She could only nod her head. "Hey, look at me." he orders firmly and she does as he asks. "No one," he states firmly as he grips her shoulders. "send a letter to my house, threatens my wife and gets away with it."

"But I don't understand this. Who would…they desecrated a grave!"

"I'll take care of this. I'm calling Moss and see if he found that damn car." She nodded as she blinked against tears. He hesitated a moment before pulling her into a tight hug. "You're safe here with me Kate, no one's going to get you."

"I know that," she inhales as she holds onto him. "I trust you."

"It'll be over before your thanksgiving party. I promise." He pulls away from her and kisses her forehead. "When's our marriage announcement coming out in the papers?"

"Saturday." She exhales. "Two more days."

"What's a Thanksgiving party?" They turn towards the door to find Polly standing there, hat on her head and purse in hand.

"It's an American holiday." Kate explains as she wipes her eyes. "It's to celebrate the many things and people in your life that you're grateful. There's a long history, but…I'll share the details later." She clears her throat and offers. "I trust we'll see you there, once I send the invitations out?"

"Possibly." Polly fixes her gaze towards Thomas. "What's going on?"

"Someone sent Kate a death threat."

Her eyes widen in surprise. "Really? They must be really foolish or daring to send it here."

He nods. "Be on your guard Poll, I don't know who these people are yet."

"Did Moss get back to you?" Kate asks. "About the car?"

He shakes his head. "No. they're still looking for the car." He studies her carefully. "I don't want you going off the property until I know what's going on."

Kate nods. "Yes." Elton enters the room with her glass of ice water, causing her to smile. "Thank you very much."

As she gulps the water down, Charlie and Ruby run into the room. "Kate," Charlie asks. "are we ready to go pick apples?"

She sets her drink down to wipe her eyes quickly and find a little bit more composure. Thomas speaks first though. "Not today." He explains. "Kate needs to rest a bit. You can go pick apples tomorrow."

"I'm fine." she hops off the desk before turning to address them both. "I'm a little sad right now but, being with you two always makes me happy."

"You're sad?" Ruby asks.

"Just a little bit, but I'll be fine. So, shall we go," both children hurtled themselves towards her and wrapped their arms around her as best as they could, enveloping her in a hug. Her voice petered out. "pick those apples?"

"Don't be sad any more mommy." Kate covers her mouth against the tears in Ruby's voice. She looks towards Thomas just as he drops the phone. His expression is hard to read. Polly, well, her face is just pale. "Everything will be ok."

Kate wraps an arm around their shoulders and hugs them. "Alright." She plants a kiss on their foreheads before smiling. "Alright." She clears her throat. "Go…get your coats on and find us 3 baskets." she clears her throat. "I need to talk to your father for a moment." The children ran outside and she turned towards him. "I'm sorry about that."

"It's all good Kate."

"I could see that it disturbed you." she steps towards him. "I didn't mean to-

"Kate, you're my wife." he states. "It's natural that they cling to you." He smiles weakly at her. "You can't fight nature. What happens…happens."

"But still, it must be-

"Hey," he stepped towards her. "it's alright. It's good isn't it? After all, you're their mother now, right?" she nodded weakly. "So, go be one." He leans forward and kisses her firmly on the mouth. Kate wraps her arms around his waist, holding onto him for those few precious seconds. "And I, as your husband will be here making sure that you're safe. After I make a few calls, Arthur and I will be heading down to Birmingham to get a few people together."

"Ok, will you be back in time for dinner?"

He nods. "Most likely."

"Alright. I'll see you later then."

* * *

_In the apple orchard,_

* * *

Kate laughs as she ducks behind a huge apple tree. "I see you!" Ruby shouts, Kate turns around, and smacks right into Ruby. "You're it!"

Kate laughs. "Alright. I'll count to fifty, alright?" Ruby nods and scampers away. "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve-

Something grabbed a hold of Kate's hair and smashed her head against the tree trunk. Kate let out a grunt as she was spun around and gripped by the throat. She shook her head as the grip tightened. She grabbed a hold of the man's wrist, trying to free her throat.

"Stop wiggling." The man ordered, his breath smelled sour like stale ale, causing her to strain for fresh air. "Scream…and those children die." Kate froze on the spot as he pulled his revolver from his holster. "Do you understand?"

She nods. "Yes." She croaks against his hand. He loosens his grip on her throat just enough for her to draw a breath.

"Kate?" Ruby calls. "Are you alright?"

"Come with me." He orders.

"Wait a minute." She says frantically. "Those are Thomas Shelby's children." The man's face freezes. "Let me send them away. If anything happens to those kids, you know the Hell he will reign down on you and whoever it is you work for."

"Fine." he nods in agreement. "But no tricks."

She inhales and steps around the tree to see the two approaching her. The man digs the gun into her back "Charlie!" she calls, her voice as strong as she can muster. "Will you two please back hurry home? Tell your father I hurt myself." His eyes widened. "Tell him, it's the same injury I got in town four days ago." The man digs the gun harder into her back, causing her to let out a faint gasp. "Take the road!"

If she's planned it, right. Thomas and Arthur should just be leaving the estate and they'd bump into them. The children would be far away from this madman, but she wasn't sure how long she could hold this man off. Everything about this man screamed that not only was he dangerous, he was insane. There was something

"Are you hurt badly?" Ruby asks, approaching her.

Kate shakes her head frantically. "No, it's not too bad Ruby." She holds her hand up, trying to signal for Ruby to stop. "Please, go get your father. Now!"

Ruby frowns. "But why can't I-

Then Ruby's eyes widen and she freezes in places. Kate instantly realizes that she's seen the gunman. Her heart pounds in her chest as Ruby lets out a scream before turning and running away. Charles grabs Ruby's hand and pulls her towards the edge of the forest.

"Damn it." The man lets out a few more curses as he pulls the gun from her back and aims it at Ruby's back. Without even thinking it through clearly, Kate reaches for the man's arm and yanks on it just as it just as the gun goes off.

* * *

**Angel029: Kate's quiet, but even she reaches her breaking point.**

**Idcam: Yes, you can take it as a sign. You can see she was quite impressed with Kate standing up to her, but she still worries for Tommy. As for Tommy and Kate getting time alone...there's a few problems to be resolved first. **


	31. 31: Wild Man

Chapter thirty-one: Wild Man

* * *

Bang!

The bullet shattered a branch off an apple tree the gun went off and the man lost his grip on the gun as she kicked him. "Run!" she screamed at Ruby and Charlie as the man pulled her down to the ground. "Run!"

"Freakin' bitch." The man curses at her as he reaches for his gun. Kate reaches for it too, but he grabs it first. The man points it at her head and she instantly freezes where she is. She inhales as the man keeps it between her eyes; her heart is pounding loudly in her ears. "On your back." He orders. "Whore."

Kate could not move. His reaction was to punch her in the chest, sending her onto back as she gasped for air. In that instance, the man was atop her, his hands gripped her wrists and he slapped her hands above her head. He forcefully kissed her, causing her to scream and then bite his lip. He cursed at her as he pulled his mouth free from her teeth.

"Get off me!" Kate screamed as she tried to buck him off.

"Hell," his hands went to his pants. "you're gonna be good. Love a wildcat."

"My husband will kill you for this!" she screams at him.

"I won't be that long." He sneered as he set his gun behind him, out of her reach. "I love the sounds you whores make when you're dry."

Kate screamed again and he hit her hard in the face, stunning her for a moment. Kate prayed she wouldn't pass out as stars spun before her eyes. She could kill him; she just needed to get a hand free! She exhaled and inhaled, trying to focus. She felt blood dripping down her nose and she knew it was broken. Her lip had split and the way her cheek was throbbing, she knew she was going to be bruised.

She closed her eyes and inhaled, trying to find calm. She needed to be calm to get out of this situation. Two fat and rough fingers being shoved up inside her brought her back to life with a cry of pain. "Stop it!"

"Tight and dry." He growled as he wrestled with his belt. "You're gonna rip. Guess your husband didn't know what to do with you. Well, you'll know what a real man feels like a moment."

She screamed again, causing him grip her tighter around the throat. She gasped for air, terror enveloping her for a moment. She'd never felt so helpless in her life before. She thrashed her head, looking around for something to get this man off her. At that moment, a stabbing pain in her head caused her to hiss. Her hatpin! She had actually worn a straw hat today for a change!

The man leaned forward and torn a corner of her dress, exposing her shoulder. Kate inhaled, getting her breathing under control as he bit her neck hard, causing her to struggle against his grip on her throat. Kate reached up into her hair and pulled out the hairpin, praying she wouldn't pass out in the attempt. Her actions caused him to look directly at her and she stabbed him deep in the eye with the hatpin.

His scream echoed through the forest and he released her. She shoved him off her and went straight for his gun. He was doubled over, holding his eye as blood streamed through his fingers. She reached the gun and grabbed it, glancing over her shoulder. The man was sobbing in pain, the hatpin still in his eye.

Kate inhaled deeply, catching her breath as she pulled her undergarments back up around her waist and stood up. She wiped her nose with her sleeve, finding blood on her hand. She shoots near his hand, causing him to jump and let out a yell in terror. "Don't shoot me!"

"Then don't bloody move!" she shouts back at him. She inhales as she touches her nose with a hiss. Yes, it's broken. She inhales and with a snap, she puts it back in place. She yelps in pain before breathing deeply. She hadn't felt this type of adrenaline and stress since the war!

"Kate!" Thomas's voice is close by. "Where are ya?"

"Over here!" she called. He came racing around the corner with Arthur; both men have their guns drawn. "Oh, thank God. Are the children safe?"

"Yes." Thomas approached her first and he quickly takes the man's gun from her. "You alright? Charlie says you attacked the man when he shot at them."

"I'm fine." She nodded. "I wasn't going to let him lay a hand on those two. I made sure that he was alive for you boys to interrogate, but he will need medical assistance. He's going to most likely lose that eye, but he should live."

"You shot him in the eye?" Arthur asked as the man was pulled from his position on the ground.

"No. I didn't have a gun on me, so I had to stab him with a hairpin." She wiped at her neck in disgust as she muttered. "The man's a pig."

"Did he touch you?" Thomas demanded, his voice dark and dangerous. She looked up at him and the look caused her to pause for a moment. "He did. The bastard put his hands on you."

"Thomas-

"Did he put his hands on you?!" He shouted. Kate blinked against tears as she nodded. "Your nose was bleeding." His tone softened as he gripped her shoulders firmly, causing her to hiss in pain. He blinks and removes his hand from her shoulder. His eyes blaze with a fury as he realizes her dress is torn. She looks at her shoulder where he bit her and realizes that he'd drawn blood. Kate shifts and fixes her dress around her shoulder. "Did he try anything else Kate?" she could only nod. "What did he do?"

She drops her gaze and inhales. "He…was going to rape me." The man lets out another cry of pain, causing her to jump. She realizes that Arthur kicked the man in the head. "Don't pull the pin out; otherwise you'll have a blood flow on your hands."

"Don't worry about him Kate." Thomas pulls her against him in a tight embrace. "He will pay for that."

She shakes her head. "I'm alright."

"He touched you." he says darkly. "No one….touches my wife and they're going to pay for sending someone with those ideas in his head. You're mine Kate, no one else's."

Kate trembles. "For God's sake…will you please just hold me Thomas?"

He does so instantly. Kate closes her eyes and breathes him in deeply as Thomas holds her tightly. He kisses her forehead several times, as she clings to him. "I've got you Kate. I've got you."

"Tom," Arthur states. "we need to get her back to the house."

Kate shakes her head. "No, I've got to go see my father."

Thomas shakes his head. "No, you're going home."

"I have to who he's managed to tick off and who's bold enough to actually dare to use me as a hostage." She states. "He won't talk to you."

"He will talk to me, he doesn't have that option not to talk to you." He said firmly. "You've had enough for one day and don't need to be present."

"Yes, I do."

"Let me rephrase that." he gripped her shoulders and growled. "I don't want you there!"

"But I'm your wife and we-

"Yes, you are my wife!" he snaps at her. "I know our marriage is a partnership, but my job is to take care of you and protect you. Let me do my job. I don't want you to get hurt anymore Kate."

Kate exhales and whispers. "I feel so useless."

"You're anything else but useless." He locks an arm around her waist and leads her towards the road. "Kate, you bloody attacked an armed man to save my children. You are…one of the most impressive women I've ever met."

"Can't think of another woman doing something like that." Arthur states. "Tom made a good choice with you. You're a fighter."

She smiles weakly and holds onto Thomas's waist as they approach the road. There's another car approaching them, from the direction of the house. Thomas pauses by his car as the second car brakes and Polly hops out of the car. "What happened? The children said there was a gunman in the orchard."

"Yes." Arthur kicks the man towards their car. The man lets out another sniveling whimper. Kate knows every jolt has to hurt him deeply.

Polly's eyes widen as she sees the hatpin protruding between the man's fingers. She looks to Kate in surprise. "You stabbed him in the eye?"

Kate nods. "Yes."

"The man tried to rape her." Polly's eyes flashed. Thomas stepped towards Polly's car. "I need you to make sure she gets back home safely."

Polly nods. "Of course." She steps in and nudges Kate towards her car. "Come on."

"Wait a minute." Kate turns towards Thomas and grips his coat lapel. "Stay safe, ok?"

He nods. "I will."

"Also, everyone at my father's house is armed, even the butler. He's probably in the library, which is the first door on the right. He put it there on purpose so he could see whoever is coming. The room over, is the parlor, which has been locked since my mother died. I'm not sure if the windows are locked, but that's your best point of entry."

"Kate-

"And don't drink any of the liquor that's out on display. They're all laced with different things. The untainted and expensive liquor is hidden on the bookcase behind him. The lever is behind Wuthering Heights."

"Kate, thank you for all this information, but let me handle this. Alright? I'll just announce myself as the man who married his daughter and I've got a present for him." Kate leans forward and kisses him on the mouth. Thomas grips her around the waist and presses her to him. Those old feelings flood her again as she is again reminded by how much she loves this man. The kiss is too brief, but she understands why. He smiles faintly at her. "I'll be back in time for dinner."

She nods. "Alright. I'll see you when you get back."

He turns to Polly, his gaze deep. "Take care of her for me?"

Polly nods and reaches for Kate. "I will. I'll make sure she gets cleaned up and I'll bring a doctor over to set her nose." She guides Kate to her car. "Come on, let the men do their thing and let's get you home. The children are terrified."

Kate nods and gets into the car without any argument. At least one good thing seemed to have come out of this horrible event. Polly seemed to see her in a different light and maybe, just maybe after this they could become friends.

* * *

**Idcam: Well, she didn't, but a bullet was too good for this guy. After all, he was going to shoot 2 children!**


	32. 32: Coffee homegrown

Chapter thirty-two: Coffee homegrown

* * *

Kate yawns as she steps out of her room, toweling her hair. Proper or not, all she wanted to do was lounge around in her silk pajamas and robe. She'd taped her nose, applied some cream to her lip and was now in search of some ice for her cheek.

As she heads down the stairs, the phone rings. Elton answers it. "Shelby Estate. Mrs. Shelby Sir? I believe she's upstairs."

"Elton?" he turns towards her. "Who is it?"

"Here she is Sir." As he hands her the receiver, he whispers. "It's Mr. Shelby."

Her eyes widen as she grips the phone. "Thomas, are you alright?"

He chuckles. _I'm fine. Your father hasn't poisoned me. _

"Where are you?"

_In the library. By the way, you were right about the drinks behind the books. He has an impressive whiskey collection._

"A man after your own heart." She says dryly. "But, I'm glad everything's ok."

_I'm actually calling because your father wants to talk to you. I'm checking to see if you're up to it. _She hesitates. _If you don't that's fine._

"No, it's ok. Put him on."

_Right. _

_Katherine? _Her father sounds worried. _Is it true? You actually married this Thomas Shelby._

"Yes I did. I married him that day I ran away. Didn't Anton tell you?"

He snorts. _Your brother told me nothing. All he said was someone had tipped Shelby off, so, he was going to wait a few months._

"You don't think," she hesitates. "he's behind this entire attempt to kidnap me?"

_He better not or I'll shoot him myself._

Kate rolls her eyes. "You wouldn't."

_Kate, we may have our differences, but you're my daughter. The image of my darling wife. I won't have you in danger. _

"So, you know who's behind this?"

_I do. Your husband and I will be going to check in on them._

"No fighting." She pleads. "I want him home with me tonight."

_Katherine, you never learned to be a wife. His tasks come first, you come last._

"Well, we don't have that kind of relationship. I'm his equal."

_For the moment, but in time, he'll bring you to heel. _She snorts and rolls her eyes. _Don't you disrespect your father like that!_

"I'm not a child anymore, I'm a woman." She grips the phone tightly. "You never want to listen, you constantly correct me. I've had enough of people walking over me and it's because of him. He's made me a stronger person. Now, put my husband back on the line."

_In a moment._

"Put him on the line!" she shouts, probably deafening the operator. "Now!

_You don't get to, hey! You don't-_

There's a brief scuffle with the phone and Kate strains to listen to the conversation. Then, she hears Thomas's voice. _Kate? What is it?_

"I'm fine," she assures him. "I just didn't want to talk to him anymore. Are you going to be getting home late?

_No. I'll be leaving heading back in 15 minutes. _There's more noise in the background, causing Thomas to snap. _Shut up. Sorry about that Kate._

"Let me guess, a husband shouldn't hurry home to his wife?"

_Considering the circumstances and we now know who it is, I'm coming home. _

"Good. I'm making dinner tonight."

Silence for a moment. _What are you cooking?_

"You've never had it before. Chili con carne."

_What is that?_

"You'll see when you get back here." Kate laughs. "I'll see you and Arthur soon, alright?"

_Right. Love you Kate._

Kate grips the phone tightly. She wasn't sure if he said it for her or her father's benefit, but it did her heart good. She was silent for a moment before saying. "I love you too Thomas."

* * *

Thomas's heart soared in his chest at Kate's admission. _Now, you hurry on home._

"I'll be there shortly." He promises. Moreover, he meant it, he wanted to get home, take her in his arms and kiss her breathless.

_Goodbye._

"Goodbye." He hangs up the phone and looks towards her father, who's glowering at him. "You and your son have a bad habit of irritating my wife."

"She was always such a headstrong girl and my wife indulged her. She fancies herself an equal to a man."

"In my house, she is equal to me." he states. "Now, about that man I brought you."

"I will be killing him myself in a moment." he studies Thomas, a dark disapproving look on his face. Her father was a tall, silver haired man who appeared to still be in perfect health for his age. There was a harshness in his eyes that reminded him of his own father. "You, however, I don't like."

"I don't care for you either. I'd put a bullet in your head without a second thought," everyone in the room straightens up, their hands near their guns. "but you're my wife's father. So, out of respect for her, you'll live."

"The same for you." he studies him carefully before ordering. "Everyone, leave the room. I will talk to my….unfortunate son-in-law, in private." Arthur glances at Tommy and he nods at him. Thomas sits down in the chair opposite Mr. Kovach. Kovach grabs another bottle of whiskey from the bookcase and tops off his glass. "Kate must love you; she told you every weakness in this house."

"Well, she figured to make my job easier. Less chance for anyone getting hurt."

He rolls his eyes. "That girl, you'll have your hands full with her."

"Believe me," Thomas reaches for his glass. "I don't mind having my hands full with her."

Her father shoots him a dark look. "That's my daughter."

"And my wife." Thomas shoots back. He leans forward, placing his glass down. "We're going to have certain boundaries in place here. You can call her once a week, to see how she's doing."

"Once a week!"

"You two haven't spoken in years." He reminds him darkly. "Be glad I didn't offer once a month."

Her father glowered. "Fine. But when she's pregnant, I want to call more than once a week."

"Kate will decide that. Anton isn't allowed on my property, ever."

He snorts. "Why on earth? What did my son ever do to you?"

"It's not what he did to me. It's what he did to Kate."

Her father's eyes narrow. "What did he do to Kate?"

"Ask him." Thomas states. "Ask him why I shot Phillip Nash, not that he'll tell the truth."

Mr. Kovach jolts. "Nash is dead? Anton said he had a family emergency in America."

Thomas glowers at him. "I shot him dead. Clearly, your son lies."

"And am I to believe that you didn't shoot his ears off?"

Thomas chuckles darkly. "I wish. Your daughter did that." Kovach drops his glass of whiskey. "Believe me; she almost shot his balls off."

"Why…the hell would my daughter do that?" he demands. "What is it you know that I don't know?"

Thomas stands up. "Your son Anton paid Phillip Nash, a tidy sum of $8,000 to kill Emmet Weber at the altar."

Mr. Kovach goes white in a second. "No."

"He did, he admitted it." Thomas states with a growl. "I suspect you knew about it to a degree and covered for him."

He shook his head. "No. I'd never do that to her. I-I hated the boy but….I would never put her through that." he sinks down in the chair. "Are you sure of this? Anton…he really did that?"

"Follow the money. $8,000…that's a lot of money. Find out where it went."

"You better hope you're right."

"Or what?" he demands as he leans towards Kovach. "You'll shoot me too?"

He shakes his head. "Because I may have to kill my own son."

Thomas shakes his head. "Kate doesn't want him dead."

"I have to make it up to her."

"Then you make sure that she's allowed to live as peaceful life that she can. She's happy there with me, make sure nothing happens to jeprodize that."

"And you, Mr. Shelby." He looks upwards. "I don't see why she loves a man like you, but you, you need to keep her happy."

"Believe me," he extends his hand to him. "that's why I'm here. Kate's mine…no one, is taking her away from me."

Her father hesitates. "Then again…maybe now, I see why she chose you. Is she really happy?"

Thomas nods. "Very. She has my children and me. You raised a strong daughter, far better than either of us deserve. I give you word…I'll give her everything she ever wanted with Emmet and more."

* * *

_At the dinner table, that night,_

* * *

"Amen." Kate looks up at Polly, Charlie and Ruby's faces and laughs. "It probably looks unusual to you three, but it's delicious, I promise."

"It smells weird." Ruby says as she reaches for her buttered bread first.

"It's the spices." The front door opens and Kate jumps as she turns towards the entrance of the dining room.

"They just started eating Sir." Elton says.

"Thanks." Kate stands up from her chair and heads towards the entryway as Thomas and Arthur enter. "Hey."

"You're home." Kate reaches for him and hugs him quickly. He exhales and buries a kiss in her neck. She smiles, desperately wanting to talk to him in private, but knows it has to wait. "How'd it go with my father?"

"It well." Kate keeps her hand on his waist as he separate enough to examine her face. "Your brother hadn't told him yet that we'd married. He was rather shocked, to say the least."

Kate snorted. "Obviously, he thought no man would ever be stupid enough to marry obstinate little me."

"Well, it's a good thing I told him that you proposed to me." Kate let out a laugh as she swats his hip. "Believe me, that nearly caused him to pass out."

"It sounds like a delightful story, but fill me in later, ok?" she smiles. "You two men must be hungry."

"Starving." Arthur states as he sits down.

"You're just in time." She states as she sits down next to Thomas. "Our cook was very generous in sharing the kitchen with me. She's expressed an interest in learning a few of my favorite dishes, so, I can have them on occasion."

"You really should have taken it easy Kate."

She nods. "I tried, but, I couldn't relax." He reached for her face, gently touching the bruise. She gripped his hand firmly. "I'm fine, I promise." Her voice petered out at the end, causing her to fear that her expression betrayed the true feelings of her heart. Thomas held her gaze, his face studying her carefully.

"I don't like it." Ruby mumbled, causing everyone stared at her.

Kate stifles a moan inwardly as she turns to ruby. "I know, I didn't like new things either," she stated calmly. "but I had to eat them anyway because I was a child and my parents knew what was best for me."

Ruby pouted, but began to slowly eat her chili, with a face that told everyone she hated it. Thomas arched his brow, signaling he was impressed with her before taking a bite of his chili. Everyone eyed him as he chewed it and swallowed. He nodded approvingly at her. "It's good Kate."

She grinned. "I told you so." She reached for the onions and cheese in front of her and dumped it in her bowl. "I love this recipe. I did go light on the spices, for I don't think you all are used to spicy things."

"How'd you learn to cook?" Polly inquired.

"My father lived in Mexico for a few years and my mother loved cooking. She taught me several American and Mexican dishes before passing away."

He studied her for a moment. "Do you like cooking?"

"I like it on occasion." She studied him back. "Are you going to forbid me?"

Tommy glanced over his wine glass at her, his brow cocked. "I doubt I could forbid you to do anything you didn't want to do."

Kate clears her throat. "I was thinking that we need to convert one of the rooms upstairs into a medical room." All heads go towards her in surprise. "Considering your line of work on the side, we should have a supply of medicine, syringes, ether and most necessary medical supplies."

"No one here really gets hurt though." Polly states.

"Judging by today, it was a possibility." Kate explained. "The doctor could come here and have all the handy supplies and you needn't worry about getting tampered medical equipment." Thomas nodded. "In addition, a copy of everyone's medical records should be here for safe keeping."

"Once a nurse, always a nurse. It's a good idea Kate." He takes another bite. "You can convert the sun room."

"Thank you." ruby suddenly leans out of her seat and vomits. Kate gets up and goes around the table. "And in incidents like this, it'll be good." she feels ruby's forehead after carefully avoiding the vomit of the floor. "You're not feeling well?"

Ruby shakes her head. "I'm tired."

Kate exhales as she picks her up. "Right. Let's get you upstairs and into bed." She turns to Thomas. "I think she's got a fever." Ruby's eyes widen. "Don't worry sweetie, it's getting close to winter and you're bound to catch a cold at some point."

"I don't want a fever!"

Kate laughs. "Ruby, I was a nurse. Trust me, you'll be better in a few days." Charlie suddenly starts retching and she exhales as she heads over to Charlie. "Alright," she turns towards Charlie and sighs. "both of you have a cold." She turns to Elton. "I'm sorry about this, but I'm going to need some ice, water and juice if we have any."

Elton nods. "Of course."

"And clean sheets for their room please."

"Here," Thomas stands up and reaches for Charlie. "come on my boy. Let's get you upstairs."

"How long have you two been feeling unwell?" she asks as they exit the dining room. Ruby sneezes on Kate, spraying her face. "Cover your nose Ruby, next time."

"Two days."

"Why didn't you say anything?" she asks as Thomas hands her his pocket-handkerchief. "Thank you."

"It weren't too bad." Charlie explains. "Now, I've got these chills."

"And you're sore?" Kate asks.

"Yes."

Kate sighs and looks at him. "I think it's Influenza." 

* * *

**Idcam: Well, he's at least a listener, which is good. At those two finally said, 'I love you'! But, now there's that bout with the flu going around the house.**


	33. 33: Sat in your lap

Chapter thirty-three: Sat in your lap

* * *

_A week later,_

* * *

A tap on the library door causes Thomas to let out a growl. "What?"

"Thomas?" It's Kate. "Can I come in?"

"Yes." He stands up and heads towards the door.

Kate enters and immediately holds out her hand to push him away from her. "Don't get too close to me. I can still be carrying the germs."

"Kate, I doubt it. You've turned the nursery into a hospital and the children are improving." He kisses her forehead. "How are they this morning?"

"Ah, life should be back to normal for them in a day or two. The vomiting stopped last night and their fevers are gone. They're actually drinking broth without spewing it all over me. However," she exhales with a smile. "Polly is now showing symptoms."

"And you'll never get that woman into bed to recover."

Kate laughs as she moves towards the bookcase. "Don't I know it. So, I had Elton alert the staff and told anyone who comes into contact with her to wear gloves or at least wash their hands."

"What are you doing down here?" he asks. "Borrowing a book?"

"That and to give you a status report." He chuckles. "I know, old habits die hard. How have you been?"

"Business as usual." He steps towards her, placing his hands on her hips, causing her to still for a moment. He plants a kiss in her neck, causing her to smile faintly. "I've been missing my wife. It's very dark and quiet when she's not here."

"I thought you enjoyed silence." She teases.

"I do, but," he spins her around and gazes at her intensely. "I find I miss her rather irritating interruptions for stupid things like party lists."

"Stupid? Really, Thomas?"

"Yes, they're stupid, because…there are so many other things we could be doing."

"Really," her green eyes dance playfully as she loosely drapes her arms around his neck. "such as?"

"Well, this," he leans forward to kiss her. "Mrs. Shelby."

Kate lets out a quiet cooing sound in the back of her throat before leaning into his kiss. God, they'd been married almost a month and she was finally settling in with him. In fact, she'd said she loved him. She loved_ him. _She told him so herself, now, he'd find out how much of it she meant. If all went well, he'd wind up seducing her against the bookcase.

Kate was compliant, parting her lips just slightly as he pulled her against him. She let out a moan, but didn't pull away. He moved with a slow earnest as he worked his mouth against her, teasing her. Her hands moved from his shoulders to cup his neck, pull him further into her. He dipped her back slightly, thumping her back against the desk. Forget the bookcase, the desk was closer.

However, Kate, being Kate, with that movement managed to turn her ankle and nearly fall over. She broke the kiss with a squeal and he grabbed her tightly, keeping her upright as she held onto him. He exhaled raggedly as she looked downwards and rolled her eyes.

"Thomas," she knelt and picked up the book he'd thrown at Arthur earlier today. Thomas inhaled deeply as she looked up at him, a dozen scenarios filling his head at the moment and none of them Kate was anywhere near willing to try with him. "what's Gatsby doing on the floor?"

He shrugs as he grips her under her arms and lifts her up from the ground. "Chucked it at Arthur."

"Why on earth would you-

"Felt like it." he picked her up and set her on the edge of the desk. She smiled up at him. Her eyes were dancing and she maintained eye contact with him, encouraging him not to stop. He didn't. He stepped towards her and kissed her deeply again. To his delight, Kate didn't stop him; her hands went to his sides, lightly resting there. He broke the kiss to study her face in this moment. She was still smiling. "Been wanting to kiss you like that for almost a week."

His admission caused her to flush an even deeper shade of pink. "I don't think," Kate hesitates, trying to find the right words. "exchanging mouthly fluids at this time is such a good idea."

"They call it French kissing Kate."

"Always the French." She mutters before patting his chest. "I could pass my germs to you and you could get sick."

"I never get sick." He states. "Don't have time for it."

"Always the first time." She smiles as she rubs her hands up and down his forearms. "Thomas, one of these days, I'd like to talk about your use of opium." All those words kill all his plans of seducing his wife on the desk. He moves to get away from him, but she hops off the desk, holding onto his forearms firmly. "Hey, I know you do it and thanks to having to get things for the children, I now know you use it nightly."

"It stops the nightmares." He explains.

"That's not what I saw or heard last night, Thomas." she said softly. "Your mind may be sleeping peacefully, but believe me, your body is in torment."

He groans in exasperation. "I don't want to talk about this with you Kate."

"I know that, but I'm your best option as you won't go to doctors." He glowers darkly at her, causing her to smile. "That look may strike fear into the hearts of your enemies, but it doesn't work on me." She places a hand on his cheek, stroking it gently with the back of her hand. He grabs her hand, not wanting her to soothe him. "Thomas, I care for you. I don't want you to hurt yourself."

"I'm fine Kate," he snaps. "believe that."

"All I want for the moment is for you to read a pamphlet I ordered, ok?" he lets out a groan. "That's all I'm asking for now."

"You're a bloody nuisance."

She laughs. "Yes. You married a nurse; you know I'd eventually bring up to opium use. There are better options."

"I tried them all."

"Thomas, you're not the first soldier, suffering from shell shock," his fingers dig into her wrist, causing her to wince. "to become addicted to opium."

"No more Kate." He growls. "I mean it, not another word."

"Or what, you'll break my wrist?" he inhales and his grip loosens. "I also know that you think that no one can understand what you've been through-

"No one does." he bites out. "there aren't any f**king words for what happened over there."

"I know that, I know." Kate states as she holds onto him tighter. "I understand the frustration. I saw it too, remember? I was even there with you back then in France and I'm here with you now. You're not going to scare me off Thomas Shelby." He inhales deeply. "You helped me find my peace…I want to help you find yours." A honking car horn couldn't cause them to break eye contact with each other. "I'm patient, I can crawl through it with you every step of the way. I'm here if you need me…just remembering that. Do you understand me?"

"Yes." He studies her carefully, she's firm, but she's not pushing him. Kate has a point. She knew, she understood and somehow…the past didn't torment her. He wondered, if she could really help him find put his soul at ease. He didn't know, but, it was worth a try. "I'll read the bloody pamphlet, but don't go getting excited."

"Hey," she smiles broadly at him. "you agreed to read the pamphlet. That's a step in the right direction."

"And, I'm sorry about the swearing. I know you hate it."

"Apology accepted, I've had many a soldier swear at me. But please know, I understand the frustration."

There's a tap at the door and Thomas groans. "What?"

"Mr. Shelby, there's a Lady Edith Kovach," Kate gasps in terror and pulls away from him, shaking her head. "here to see Mrs. Shelby."

"Oh dear God. Not her!" she ran to a mirror and glanced at her appearance. "Damn it."

He frowned. "What the hell has got you-

"My grandmother!"

Elton opened the library door and Kate dove behind his desk. Thomas stared as she crawled under the seat to hide! He stood up as a woman, swept into the room. He'd seen many a glare from a sergeant when in the army. This woman, made him straighten his posture.

"You must be Thomas Shelby." She states as she approaches him. He approaches her, not wanting her to get near the desk. "Where's my granddaughter?"

"No idea, I haven't seen her this week." He states politely. "Why don't we go to the parlor and I'll see if Elton can find her?"

"I prefer libraries." Her grandmother declares. "

"I don't like people in my library." Thomas stated, his tone ending the discussion. "Shall we go? I'm sure Kate will surface at some point." As he exited the library, he observes Elton preparing to shut the door behind him. "Leave the door open Elton, it's a bit stuffy in there."

"As you wish Sir." The confusion is evident in his voice.

"Also, fetch my aunt and Arthur. Tell them we've got a visitor."

"Of course Sir." As Thomas steps aside to allow Kate's grandmother to enter the parlor, he glances towards the library as Kate makes a mad dash up the stairs. Something tells him, that he is not going to be able to escape this horrible tea as easily as she managed to do.

* * *

** : I'm glad, there are still 20+ chapters left to be uploaded.**

**Idcam: Yes, everyone's going to catch the flu and it's going to be bad news for someone. But luckily, he married a nurse!**


	34. 34: Babooshka

Chapter thirty-four: Babooshka

* * *

Kate dropped an earring. "Damn it."

"I've got it." Elton's daughter, Jodie assured her. "Just relax, you look lovely."

Kate shakes her head as she sits down and pinches her cheek. "You've never met my grandmother! Thomas is never going to forgive me for leaving them alone with her."

Jodie chuckles. "I'm sure Mr. Shelby has handled worse than her."

Kate drops her lipstick. "God, he's going to shoot her!" Jodie laughs as Kate lunges for her lipstick and quickly applies it. "Am I decent?"

"Yes." Jodie assures her as she hurries to the closet and hands her a matching pair of lavender shoes. Kate shoves her feet into her shoes and trots down the hall. "I'll watch the little ones for you!"

"Thank you Jodie!" Kate runs down the hall, holding onto the banister, slowing once she got to the steps.

She could hear her grandmother speaking in irritation. "Then where is my granddaughter?"

"I'll see if I can find her." Thomas sounds as if he's at he's running out of his patience. Kate hurries down the stairs, gripping the banister. His brow rises approvingly as she comes down the stairs. "There you are."

"I am so, so sorry." She says as she pauses on the final step. "She was never going to let me hear the end of it if I showed up in a dress I'd been wearing for two days." He inhales deeply near her, causing her to scowl. "What?"

"Just checking your perfume, do you know you coordinate your perfumes?" she shakes her head. "You're wearing a lavender scent and your dress is lavender."

She blinks. "I never realized I did that, but, it makes sense." She takes his arm. "Shall we?"

He shakes his head. "I dunno, I just got out of there."

She laughs. "You left your aunt and brother to my grandmother. That's not very good of you."

"Eh, they can handle her."

"Yes, I can just see Polly losing her temper and throwing a knife at my grandmother, or Arthur calling her a fat cow or something." He frowns. "What?"

"Polly or Arthur wouldn't do that."

"Why wouldn't they? I did once myself."

His brow arches as he takes a hold of her arm and leads her back towards the parlor. "You, Mrs. Shelby are full of surprises."

"Hmm, I hope so, otherwise, life could be pretty dull."

Thomas holds her hand firmly as they enter the parlor. Arthur and Polly both look as if they have a headache, Polly, is attempting to keep from showing her influenza symptoms.

"And," Thomas says good-naturedly. "here's my lovely wife now."

"Finally. You're wearing that lavender dress of yours." Her grandmother stated. "I've told you before; you should never wear that color. Makes you look like a dead fairy."

Kate cringed and fumbled for an explanation. Thomas took that comment for her. "My fault I'm afraid, it's one of my favorites."

Polly nods. "Indeed. Looks lovely with her hair." The fact that Polly was taking her side, told her that her grandmother was really being insufferable.

"Pale colors, never work for her complexion. Dark colors, especially black, are quite striking on her."

"It's a little early in the day to wear black, granny." Kate says lightly.

"Dark colors are still best. Now, sit down my dear." Kate moves to sit down, but her grandmother stops her. "Aren't you going to kiss me?"

Kate hesitates. "Well, I've been nursing the children; they've a bout of influenza. But, they're on the road to recovery."

"So it shouldn't be contagious." She states. "Don't let illness prevent you from exercising good manners." Kate nods and kisses her grandmother on the cheek. "Now," she pats the seat next to her. "sit down."

"My wife," Thomas states firmly. "sits next to me."

"It's not proper Mr. Shelby." Her grandmother states. "A husband and wife never sit near each other."

"I don't…care." Kate bites back a smile, hearing him censor himself in her grandmother's presence. He snaps his finger at her. "Come here."

She shoots him a glower, but approaches him anyway. "Don't ever," she says through her teeth as she sits down beside him. "do that again."

"Now," her grandmother says conversationally. "now your husband says he hasn't seen you for a week. I hope that's not true. It is your duty to provide your husband with an heir."

Arthur snorts his tea and coughs. Kate keeps her face straight. "Thomas already has an heir, his son Charlie."

"Hmm, well, you should give him another son. That way, our families can merge their fortunes together." She sniffs in disgust. "He'll probably inherit everything, since your good for nothing brother insists on chasing every female he meets."

"Kate and I haven't discussed children yet." Thomas explains.

"Well, discuss it soon." Her grandmother states. "She's not getting any younger and I want to see my great grandchild before I die!"

"Well, you shall have to meet Charlie and Ruby. They're darling."

"I shall see." She turns to Thomas. "Now I must state, in spite of your father and brother's disapproval. I approve of this match."

Kate politely smiles as she takes a sip from her teacup. "I'm glad you approve granny."

"I didn't at first." she stated. "Then I asked around for more information regarding your husband's reputation. Didn't care for his view on politics much, but his peaky blinder background was persuasive in making me see this was an ideal match." Kate reached for a mini cake and bit into it. "Don't eat too many, watch your figure dear."

Thomas reached for two and handed her one. "Here."

"What about his background as a peaky blinder," Polly inquired. "made you think he was a suitable match for Kate? I can see it being a turnoff to anyone in your society."

"True." Her grandmother nodded. "But he's a strong man, ruthless, from what I've heard. And Kate needs a strong man to give her a slap once in a while to keep her in her place."

Everyone's heads jerked, including her, so, she tightened her grip on her teacup. Even Thomas looked taken aback by her grandmother's words. "I don't understand your statement." He states. "Are you actually hoping I'd hit Kate once in a while?"

"Of course!" Kate snatches the second mini cake from his hand and stuffs the whole thing in her mouth. "Willful girl this one. I trust you've put a stop to all her writing nonsense."

"No." Thomas stated calmly. "I haven't. I let Kate have free reign over her life and the house."

"Really?" Her grandmother looked appalled. "You'll regret that decision."

"I'm going to need something stronger." Polly mutters as she stands up and heads to the whiskey tumbler in the far corner.

Her grandmother is apparently on a roll. "Her father should have never let her learn to read!" Kate bites down her lip so hard she actually drew blood. Thomas glances at her and his eyes narrow as she wipes her mouth with her napkin. "She's got such revolutionary ideas. Even wanted to marry a German after the war!" Kate reached for her tea, praying granny would stop speaking now. "Luckily, someone shot him before she could make such a horrible mistake!" Kate nearly dropped her cup of tea as red-hot anger boiled up inside her.

"Alright, I've heard enough!" Thomas states as he gets up out of his chair. "Get out."

"Oh, thank God." Arthur states. "I couldn't hear much more of this."

Her grandmother looked surprised. "Excuse me?"

"You may be my wife's grandmother…but I'll not let you slur her under my roof."

"Thomas, it's alright." She stands up and reaches for his hand. "Granny is just-

"Being cruel to you." he turned to her. "I gave you my word that no one would hurt you. _No one_." He held her gaze for a moment before turning to her grandmother. "That includes you. Now, get out of my house."

"I certainly will not!"

"Elton!" Thomas bellows.

"You fought in the war Mr. Shelby." Her grandmother just refused to stop speaking. "Why should one more dead German offend you?"

"Her fiancée was crippled." Thomas snaps. "He couldn't walk without crutches. He was shot multiple times, at the altar in the middle of his vows with Kate!"

"What?" Polly demanded, shock on her face. "Are you serious?"

Arthur nods in confirmation. "During the vows."

"You knew this?" Polly asks. "And you didn't tell me?"

"So what? He was German." Her grandmother snorted. "He was probably spying on us during the war."

"He wasn't involved in the war." Kate snaps, her temper finally starting to peak. "He worked himself sick countless times at the Red Cross."

"That makes him one of us." Arthur added. "Kate's part of our family now, not yours, you old bat."

"How dare you?" she has the audacity to appear shocked.

"No, how dare you." Thomas says. "You think you can just come on in here and say things about my wife?"

"She's your third wife; one would have hoped that a man of your reputation knows how to control her!"

"She's my wife, not a dog." He bites out. "Now for the last time, get out of my house or I'll have you thrown out!"

"Katherine," her grandmother said sharply. "are you going to let him treat me this way?"

"You said, that I need a strong man to slap me around and put me in my place." She smirks at her grandmother. "So don't be surprised, when he puts you in yours."

"Even though Katherine's married to me, I've loved before her in the past. I respect her past love as she respects mine. Now, get out." she didn't move. Thomas turned to Elton. "Go get several footmen; this woman is to be thrown out of my house."

Elton nods. "A pleasure, Mrs. Shelby."

"Katherine!" her grandmother snaps.

Kate shrugs indifferently. "After she's been thrown out Elton, please bring a bottle of tequila, some salt, limes and shot glasses for us. Oh, and one for yourself, because you're going to need it."

"Thank you."

"Wait." Her grandmother stands up slowly. "I'll leave." She glowers at Kate. "Your mother would be disappointed in you."

"Considering you were disappointed in her, I doubt she'd consider your disappointment in me of any consequence. Please go."

"Clear out of here." Arthur orders.

Her grandmother snips in disgust as she turns on her heel and sways out of the room. "You, smell like a sewer."

Kate smirks a little at her grandmother's tone. She exhales and turns to everyone. "I am so sorry all three of you had to endure that. My grandmother is senile and has gotten worse since my grandfather's passing."

"The man probably killed himself to get away from her." Arthur stated as he reached for the whiskey.

Kate bites her lip and shakes her head. "I hate it when you make me laugh at inappropriate things."

"Kate," Polly asks. "why didn't you tell us about your fiancée being murdered?"

Kate stills. ""To be honest…I didn't feel like it was necessary to share such a thing. It was personal and I was only inclined to share it with my husband."

"Arthur knew."

"Only because he happened to be there when the whole thing went down with my brother."

Her eyes widen. "Your brother killed him?"

"Hired someone to kill him." Kate says simply. "It's in the past now." She turns towards Thomas. "Grandmother's words didn't even disturb me."

"You should have said something." Polly stated. "It might have made things clearer for everyone in getting to understand you. It makes things between you seem a lot clearer."

"Why should I have to share anything?" Kate inquires. "You made it clear to me from the very beginning that I would never be part of this family." She inhaled deeply, keeping her temper in check. "The only person who needed to know was my husband. Besides, Emmet was German; I can hardly expect you to understand."

"I can understand the ways of the heart." Polly steps towards her. "You held onto a German man, during the war and stuck by him enough actually marry him. My first impression of you is that you were this silly, flouncy socialite." Polly grips her chin, staring deep into Kate's eyes. "But I can see that you're anything but that now. I see what he saw when he said you were different from anyone he'd met."

Kate holds her gaze, her heart pounding in her throat. "Am I to assume you finally approve of me?"

Polly nods. "Yes."

Kate smiles for a moment and her eyes narrow. "Come on upstairs with you. You've got a fever."

"No."

"Come on." Kate grips Polly's arm and moves her towards the stairs. "I'll tell you anything you want to know about me."

"I don't have a fever. Your bloody grandmother upset me."

She laughs. "And that's new to me? I'm surprised, you're all part of the peaky blinders, yet it's my grandmother who manages to get under your skin."

"That wasn't a grandmother. That was a witch from Hell."

* * *

**Idcam: Yes, it was mean to be comical. Her grandmother is semi-based off of my grandmother. Who wasn't as scary as Kate's grandmother, but she was always on me about my appearance when I was growing up. And yes, my parents were afraid of her too.**


	35. 35: All we ever look for

Chapter thirty-five: All we ever look for

* * *

_The following week,_

* * *

The sound of retching causes Kate to pause outside the master bedroom. "Thomas?" no response, more retching. Kate inhales and pushes the door open. There's Thomas, vomiting into his washbasin. He's only dressed from his waist down, giving her a clear view of his chest, which has a reddish tinge to it.

She sighs. "You had to give me that French kiss."

Everyone except him and her and run their course. After Polly, Arthur went down. Elton and Jodie, but she'd sent them home. Most of the staff had taken the week off, to recover. Now that Thomas had it, it was just a matter of time before she caught it. Oh well, at least she was the last one to get it.

Kate walks over to him and places her hand on his shoulder. She frowns as she touches his shoulder, which is warm and actually sweaty. Thomas spits and reaches for his towel to wipe his mouth. "I'm fine Kate."

Thomas turns towards her as he pulls on his undershirt and her heart jumps in her chest. He looks terrible, his eyes are glassy and his skin is definitely feverish. "Clearly you're not; you need to get to bed Thomas."

He shakes his head. "I'll be fine."

"No, you're not." He coughs and Kate frowns, his lungs sound deeply congested. "On the bed."

"I don't have time for this; I've got work to do."

Kate yanks up his undershirt, stopping him in his tracks as she presses her hand against his stomach. Even though he hasn't eaten, it's firm, as if full. She then presses her ear against his lungs to listen to his lungs. Even without a stethoscope, she can hear the crackling. She takes a hold of his wrist and takes his pulse. It's fast and erratic. She glances up at him. "When did you take your last dose of opium?" he glowers at her. "I am serious Thomas, this is very important, I need to know."

"Around 11."

"Any today?"

"Hour ago, but I'm feeling better."

"I know better. Opium takes away all feelings of pain, leaving you euphoric." She pulls back the covers. "You need to get into bed now, your body needs to rest."

"I am a horse," he reaches for his shirt. "all work, no rest."

Kate snatches the shirt from his hands. "Thomas, I'm going to have to insist-

"I'm alright Kate!" he shouts, causing her to raise a brow at him.

"Clearly, you're not." She states, using her nursing voice on him. "You're in no condition to be up and around."

Polly suddenly pokes her head in the room. "What's going on?" she looks a little bleary eyed.

"Polly," she says calmly. "I need you to get the children situated downstairs, and then I need you, Arthur and Elton to get back here as soon as you can."

"Ignore her poll," he bites out at her. "it's just a quarrel."

"No, for once in your life Thomas Shelby, you're going to have to do something you don't want to do. You're very sick and no matter how much you protest, you have to stay in bed."

"I am not getting into that f**king bed!"

"Don't you swear at me!" she snaps.

"Or you'll f**king do what?" he demands.

Kate turns to his nightstand, yanks open the top drawer and pulls out his opium pipe and paper contain opium. _That _catches his attention. He turns towards her, his eyes taking on the look of a cornered animal.

"Kate," Polly warns. "I really don't think-

"Do what I asked Polly," she states as she moves out of Thomas's reach. "but please hurry back."

"Give me the pipe." He orders. "Now."

"No. Thomas, I suspect you have the flu and I think this opium may be laced with something else."

"I'm not f**king joking Kate!" he shouts. "Give me the pipe!" Kate's reaction is to drop it on the ground and crush it with her heel. That's the moment, the when beast behind Thomas Shelby's eyes is unleashed and he lunges for her.

"Arthur!" Kate screams as she ducks under his arms. Luckily, the fever has made him off balance, so his movements are slightly sluggish. Thomas turns towards his clothing drawer and grabs another paper packet containing opium. By sheer reflex, Kate lunges for the packet and grabs it from his hand.

"You give that back to me right now." He shouts at her. "Stop f**king around Kate."

She shakes her head and backs away from him, inching towards the water basin. "Thomas, you cannot take this stuff."

"You don't f**kin' own me!" he shouts. "Hand it over now!" Kate lunges and plunges the opium packet inside the vomit filled water basin water. Thomas unleashes a stream of obscenities as he grabs her by hair. "I'm gonna kill you."

"Arthur!" Kate screams as Thomas throws her, sending her flying across a chair and into the wall. Kate's tempted to pull her gun, but knows that'll make him pull a weapon. However, when Thomas pulls his knife from his pocket and approaches her, she changes her mind.

"I swear, I'm gonna f**king cut you."

Kate fires, shooting the knife right out of his hand; as he curses at her, Arthur, Elton and Polly come running into the room. Arthur and Elton instantly head to Thomas and restrain him. Polly goes to her and pulls her up. "What happened?"

"Bitch shot me!" Thomas shouts.

"You tried to stab me." Kate turns to Arthur and Elton. "He's got the flu; you're going to have to restrain him."

"Get your f**king hands off me!" Thomas orders. "Nobody touches me!"

"Wait a minute!" Polly shouts. "What the hell is going on here?"

"Thomas has the flu, but I suspect he's ingested some tainted opium. That's why he's behaving erratically."

"The stupid woman jst destroyed 100 pounds worth of opium."

Thomas thrashed against Arthur and Elton's grip, his face red with anger. "Kate," Arthur suggests. "maybe just a little bit to settle him down."

"No," Polly instantly puts it together. "If it's tainted, he can't have any of it." Polly turns to Kate. "Could the tainted opium kill him?"

"Yes, it could Just look at him now!" she points out. "He's sweating like crazy and no matter how upset he's been, has he ever been out of control like this?" Polly shakes her head. "His heart rate is skyrocketing and we've got to get him to calm down."

"You don't know it was the opium!" Thomas shouts. "You don't get to treat me like this just because you have issues with me using it!"

Polly is silent for a long moment before stating. "You're the nurse. What do we need to do?"

"First, we've got to restrain him." Thomas lunges for her, nearly dragging Elton and Arthur along with him. Kate takes a step back. "I'm going to call my doctor, who's had experience with this and ask him what I need to do."

"Have you done anything like this before?" Arthur asks.

"I've worked on men with opium withdrawals, so yes. I don't know what to do for contaminated opium and we need to know right away." Arthur and Elton drag Thomas towards his bed. Kate yanks open Thomas's clothing drawer and pulls out several belts. "Arthur, once he's secure, stay with him and try to get him to calm down. I'm going to make the call from the library, so I can hear. Polly, I'd like you to come with me. I'm also going to call Ada. Elton, you know the drill for the flu."

He nods. "Yes, lots of liquids, fresh cloths and sheets."

Kate nods. "Ask Jodie to run into town and get me some fresh lemon balm, chamomile and lavender. All three are natural herbs to help him relax."

* * *

_35 minutes later,_

* * *

"Well?" Thomas demands as he strains to get up from the bed. Arthur holds a hand on his shoulder, keeping him flat on his back. Elton is holding a bloody cloth to his nose. "What did the idiot doctor say?"

"That Kate was right." Polly states. "Someone tried to poison him."

"Elton, I'll look at your nose in a moment." He waves her aside as Kate approaches Thomas's bedside with a small vial. "Thomas, I need you to drink this. It's ipecac syrup."

"You're f**king insane Kate." He snarls. "There is nothing wrong with me!"

Polly groans and takes the vial from her. "God, it's like he's six again." she looks to Arthur. "Hold him tight." She then pinches his nose shut, causing him to thrash. "I've done this to you before. Open your mouth!" he resists and Polly turns to her. "He'll need air in a moment, how much?"

"Whole vial." Polly's brow rises. "It's the correct dosage for an adult male. I'm not going to poison him."

"No fear of hat." Thomas gasps for air and Polly pours the brown syrup down his throat. He lets out a strangling noise and Polly puts a hand over his mouth, forcing him to swallow the liquid. "How long should it take?"

"Normally, 10-20 minutes and he should vomit it up. But he hasn't eaten, so, it could be less, when it happens, Arthur, release one of his hands."

Polly studies his face carefully. "He's really agitated; I haven't seen him this way before." She then removes her hand from his mouth. "You, stay quiet." Thomas shoots her a disgusted glower, but does as Polly orders.

Kate sits next to him, wanting to take his hand, but needing to keep him calm was more important. She exhales. "Now, Polly and I have all the doctor's instructions. It's nothing we as a family can't handle."

"There is nothing to fu," Polly holds her hand by his head, preparing to smack him. Thomas hesitates for a moment. "to handle."

Kate glowers at him. "Is that why your stomach is as hard as a lump of coal?"

"I already vomited."

"There's still something inside you. Whatever it is, you didn't get it out."

"Tommy," Polly states as she gets off the bed. "having had Kate with me through the influenza, you know that she knows what she's talking about. I have to trust her judgment on this one."

"There is nothing…wrong with-

Thomas begins gagging. Kate grabs the empty basin by her elbow and thrusts it under Thomas's mouth as he strains to sit upright. Arthur releases his one hand and Thomas bolts upright and leans over the basin. Instantly, streams of deep orange liquid with small, round dots of tan come spewing out of his mouth.

Kate grips his bound hand tightly. "Tell me that when you're not vomiting."

Arthur groans. "What are the round things?"

"I don't know, but whatever it is, it was expanding in his stomach. It was going to cause his stomach to burst and I don't think he would have survived the trip to the hospital." She rubs his back as he continues vomiting. Several streams come shooting out of his nose as well. "The good news is there's no blood in the vomit so he's not bleeding internally. Once he gets it all out, he should be fine somewhat." Thomas exhales raggedly, as he takes a few deep breaths before falling back on the bed. Kate moves the basin to the floor before taking her damp cloth to wipe his face and mouth. "You'll be better soon. I promise." He closes his eyes and she takes his pulse. Everyone hold his or her breath as she takes his pulse. She smiles faintly. "It's slowing, he needs to get some rest." Everyone relaxes and she moves to leave his side, but he catches a hold of her hand. "I'm going to stay here with him."

"So, we're out of danger?" Polly asks.

"Yes. Look at his skin color; it's lost that reddish burn. We'll have to investigate where that opium came from."

"Chang." Arthur curses. "Can't trust the Chinese."

"Ada mentioned that Thomas bought a large shipment of opium. That would be a good place to start.

"While Thomas is unconscious, there's something I'd like to discuss. While he has influenza, he cannot take the opium. It'll cause him to hallucinate."

"How long does he need to stay off it?" Polly asks.

"Four days at least, but…I'd like to go for a week."

"Why?" Arthur demands. "He's my brother; I won't stand by and watch him suffer."

"And he's my husband." She states. "I'm doing this for his sake. You all know that the opium is clearly causing problems in his life." Polly nods and Arthur gives a reluctant head bob. "A week is how long it takes to get the opium withdrawal symptoms under control. We could get Thomas off the drugs, while he's under the flu."

"Kate, are you sure-

"Yes. He is weak, but he'll at least be delirious and won't suffer as much as he would be going through withdrawal fully conscious. It's killing me to even suggest this. I know that you've all expressed concerns for his addiction, and he needs help. He's quit it once before, he can do it again."

"He needs to want it though."

"His health is at risk now because of it."

"The man he is right now is his father." Polly states. "He hated that man. If Thomas was in his right mind, which he isn't, he'd agree to this."

"What can we expect?" Arthur asks. "This..withdrawal."

"It's noon now, he's taken opium almost 2 hours ago. He should be calm and peaceful until 2 tomorrow." she states. "That's when the withdrawal the symptoms are going start, it'll be consistent with the influenza fever. He's never had it before, according to his medical records, so, expect a bumpy night." Polly shakes her head. "In another 50 hours, they're going to peak and get worse. He'll experience nausea, vomiting, cramps, depression, hallucinations and more cravings. Because of Thomas's experience in the war, he'll be violent at times. If we're going to do this, I'm going to need everyone's help in this. If it gets too much for anyone, leave the room right away."

Polly nods. "You've got my support. He needs to get off that stuff and I'm upset to admit that we've allowed it for years."

"It's a sickness Polly, he can't help it. Opium is addicting." She turns to Elton. "Call Ada, tell him that Thomas will be going through opium withdrawal. Ruby and Charlie need to stay with her for a few days." Kate exhales. "I'm not going to lie. It's going to be hard and it's going to be hell."

"Being off the opium, will it help the nightmares?" Arthur asks.

Kate's silent for a moment. "I'll help him take care of the nightmares once he's off the opium."

"How?"

Kate's silent for a long time before admitting. "He needs someone to be there for him and he needs to talk about the nightmares."

Arthur snorts. "Fat chance."

"I'm still going to try."

"You don't know what it was like."

"I don't?" she placed a hand on her hip. "You men…you think being strong is staying silent, it's not. The ghosts are there because they need to be listened to. Once you listen to them…they go away."

"I'm with Kate on this." Polly states. "We've know for a long time that the drugs have been having an impact on Thomas. If ever there's a time to act, now's the time."

* * *

**Idcam: My grandmother was terribly old fashioned and opinionated, she made it to 101 before passing away. She had her scary moments, but she was a very interesting woman. And life, just got more interesting. Someone's after Thomas now! **


	36. 36: The man with the child in his eyes

Chapter thirty-six: The man with the child in his eyes

* * *

The days and night melted into each other. Kate was so exhausted that she felt as if she were back in the war. The war had upset her, but it had been easier for her because she didn't know any of her patients. This patient was her husband, so it was very personal for her. Her doctor had immediately driven down to check on Thomas. He knew instantly what the opium had been tainted with and assured her that Thomas was out of harm's way. However, his recovery would not be an easy one.

She was grateful to have Polly and Arthur's support. Ada had taken Charlie and Ruby in. Jodie had gotten them together and made sure they got to Ada's home safely. Ada approved of getting him off the opium and called daily for checks on his status. Kate hadn't been able to get much rest during this time.

Thomas had drifted in and out during his fevers. His body was ravaged by severe chills and profuse sweating. Keeping him dry had been hard; Arthur and Elton had to help change his clothes frequently as he sweated through them. The nights, however, were the worst for him. His body convulsed as he shouted orders to soldiers who weren't there. He called out for Grace and told her ghost to leave him alone. He screamed that he was being attacked and people were coming through the walls. After two nights, Kate finally figured out that having him face a blank wall, reminded him of being in a tunnel, so she had them spin his bed around for him to face the outside. It hadn't helped much, but at least he didn't sound as if he was having his insides ripped out.

Polly helped her during the day and Arthur took the night shift. It had been so hard. He cursed her, shouted at her, spit on her and he actually attacked her a few times. Her wrists were both purple from where he'd gripped her tightly. One time, he'd managed to break his restraints and hit her in the face. Elton helped her tie him down again while Polly took a minute to compose herself. It had been hard for Polly, but Kate was glad that they'd mended their fences because she needed an ally.

This morning, he'd been peaceful; he drifted into a deep sleep. She'd checked his eye activity to be certain he hadn't slipped into a coma. Fortunately, he hadn't, but he'd exhausted his body and now, he was finally allowing his body to heel. Kate let out a yawn as she kept her hand atop of his as she continued to read 'Tender is the night' by F. Scott Fitzgerald aloud to him.

* * *

"He used to think that he wanted to be good," Thomas opens his eyes at the sound of Kate's voice. She sounds a little croaky and far away. "he wanted to be kind, he wanted to be brave and wise, but it was all pretty difficult." He turns his head towards her. She has her head down, a blanket over her lap and a hand atop of his. "He wanted to be loved too, if he could fit it in."

He turns his hand to take hers. She drops her book and turns towards him. "Kate?"

"Shh," she says gently as she sits on the edge of the bed. "I'm here." She places a hand on his forehead. She smiles. "Thank God, the fever broke."

"Fever?" he frowns. "I had a fever?"

She nods as she reaches for a thermometer. "That and a few other things. Open your mouth." He does as she orders without any complaint. "Thank God. You're back to yourself."

"I should hope."

She holds up a finger. "Don't talk with the thermometer in your mouth." He smirks at her, causing her to rolls her eyes. "Don't look at me like that."

She takes the thermometer from his mouth and holds it up to the light. "Why? It turn you on?" she sighs as she writes down his temperature in this little red notebook she has. "You look tired. Did you stay with me all night?"

She bites her lip as she closes the notebook. "Thomas…you've been sick for almost a week now."

He frowns. "A week?"

"Don't you remember?"

He's silent for a moment. "You destroyed my opium pipe. It's…a bit hazy after that."

"Your opium was tainted with finely ground silicon dioxide." He stares at her as she sinks down onto the edge of the bed. "Which is normally harmless, until it's ingested. It doesn't dissolve in the body and absorbs liquid." Kate coughs. "So, it's been building up inside your stomach for a few days. The doctor stopped by and said we caught it just in time. You caught influenza, which probably saved your life. Had it gone undetected, it could have burst your esophagus. Your lungs were miraculously clear, so I don't think you smoked the tainted batch."

"I stopped smoking it," he said slowly, her words hitting him like a hammer. "because, Polly says the smell disturbs her." he looks up at her. "You saved my life, again." He reaches up to touch her, but realizes he's restrained. "Why am I tied down?"

"There was a family vote that you were going to be taken off the opium while getting over the flu." She undoes a belt. "You were very aggressive."

"Did I hurt you?" she bites her lip and hesitates. He exhales. "Now I know I did something. What did I do Kate?"

"It was a chemical reaction and I don't blame you. Really."

"What, did I do?" he sat up and reached for her hand. She inhaled sharply and he looked down, noticing a big, purple bruise on her wrist. "Did I do that?" She nods as she turns towards him, another bruise on her cheek. "And I did that too? Kate, I swore, I'd never raise a hand-

"And you didn't." she said gently. "You were sick. You had a fever, you were delirious, you didn't know what you were doing." She sneezes and reaches for her handkerchief. "I don't blame you.

"God, Kate. I-I didn't know."

She nods. "I know, I forgive you. It was the drugs."

"How can you forgive me?" he asks. "I hurt you."

"You're my husband." She stated as he gently ran his hands up to her shoulders. He sees she's a little hesitant to allow his touch, so he stops at her forearms. "I'd do anything for you."

"I don't know if I can kick it Kate."

"If you want to, you can do it. If you can last a month…you'll be good Thomas." she exhales. "I should confess that I cleared out your opium supply. All 7 tonnes."

He jolts in surprise. "How the hell did you know where it was?"

"Ada told me you'd purchased that much and Arthur helped me find it." She grips his hand firmly. "My father was fit to be tied and took the whole stash. He sold it and gave the money to Polly, to transfer to your account. She put it in my name instead."

"Hmm, damned if I'll thank him for that."

"He then went a step further and informed Chang that you were out of the business." Thomas scowled at her and she scowled back. "No one, is going to sell you anything. You'll have to find contacts out of England. Moreover, my father said to tell you that before you do that, that you two made a pledge in his library, to keep me happy?" Thomas nods, remembering he'd promise to keep Kate happy and make sure she had everything she ever wanted. " He expects you to hold that."

He hesitates. He's not sure if he's ready to commit to this. But then again, she wore bruises on her, testifying that his opium use had gotten out of control. "I may fail Kate."

"If you chose to stick to it, Arthur will be giving up cocaine. I had the staff take your room and the library apart. I found everything you'd hidden, even the ones under the floorboards. Your addiction almost killed you Thomas." He sighs and runs a hand through his hair as she places her hand on his heart. "I'm a nurse, remember? I'm going to bring healing back into your life Thomas."

He closes his eyes, knowing that he's standing on a precipice. "Are you sure you want to go in this far with me Kate?"

"Yes. I'm not a fool Thomas, I know you have a dark side, but who doesn't? Everyone worries about you, especially Ada. She told me about you stepping out on the bridge and seeing Grace. I know, you won't see a doctor, but that's all right. The visions will be gone not that you've stopped taking the opium. As to the nightmares, you're a strong man Thomas Shelby."

He exhales deeply. "If you're willing to go in that far…yes, I'll stop the opium." He leans forward and kisses her lightly. She breaks the kiss abruptly to turn her head as she sneezes. "Are you sick?" he frowns.

Kate nods. "Yes, I got a mild case of influenza." She touches her forehead. "I've got a slight fever. It may get worse tonight."

"Come here."

She shakes her head. "No, I'll just curl up in the chair."

"Get in here." He pulls her into the bed with him, tucking the covers around her. "I've already had it, so, I can't catch it again. Close your eyes and sleep. I've got you." He smiled at her, rubbing her arms for a moment. He feels the tension leave her body with an exhale. "We're getting there, aren't we?"

"Yes, I think we are." She yawns. "Once you're better, I'll be moving into your room with you."

He looks down at her, not sure how to interpret her statement. "To keep an eye on me?"

"No. because I want to be there with you." he sits up slightly. "I'm not quite ready for sex yet, but," she yawns through closed eyes. "I'm close."

"I'm gonna need you Kate." He declares as he runs a hand through her hair, pulling it free of the few pins holding it together.

"I'll be here." Her voice drops as she starts to fall sleep. "I promise, I'm not going anywhere, no matter what happens."

Her soft breathing informs him that she's asleep. He leans down and kisses her on the mouth. "And I promise you…I'll quit it Kate. I promise." As he settled down in the covers, a snort caused him to look around his room. There was Arthur, asleep on the couch. Thomas grabs Kate's book and throws it at Arthur, who bolts upright instantly. "Out." he orders as he points to the door. "Now."

Arthur's face lights with relief up as he heads towards the bed. "You're awake!"

"Yes, now, get out."

"In a moment. It's been Hell for a week." He heads to the side of his bed. "Kate must have let you loose."

"Obviously. Now, since my wife has willingly crawled into bed with me for the first time, do you mind going to your bed now?"

Arthur chuckles uneasily. "No." he grips Thomas's hand and gives it a firm shake. "It's just…such a relief to see you looking better."

"Thanks Arthur."

"Kate needs to sleep, I don't think she's slept since you got sick."

"Did I hurt her?" he asks quietly. "Is there anything I did to her that she won't tell me?"

"Well, you hit her a few times, said really nasty things to her and you spit on her several times. She never gave up, held your hand the entire time." He looks at the exhausted woman draped across him, still holding onto him. "You married a good one."

He nods in agreement. "From what she told me…I think she's got one lined up for you."

Arthur shakes his head. "No, I'm not marrying again."

"You know Kate; she always gets her way in the end."

* * *

**Idcam: My brother invited a friend of his over, a retired police officer. So, he mentioned a case he worked where a brother tried to kill his brother using silicon dioxide. After doing research, it was the perfect 'poison'.**

**Angel029: He needed a nurse in his life, luckily he married one!  
**


	37. 37: An architects dream

Chapter: An architects dream

* * *

"Easy there," Thomas says as Kate vomits water into the basin by her bed. Jodie hurries over to take the bowl. He rubs her back as she lets out a final moan before spitting into the bowl.

"Thank you Jodie." She wipes her mouth with a sigh. "I hate being sick."

"That's why you were a nurse." He teases. "Nurses make the worst patients." She lets out a huff and thumps his arm. "Ow."

"Sorry." She reaches for the juice by her bed and starts sipping it.

Thomas turns to Jodie. "Why don't you bring her some tea? She keeps it down easier."

Jodie nods and Kate adds. "With lemon please." She picks up the paper with the thanksgiving menu on it and hands it to him. "So, what do you think of the dinner menu?"

He surveys it briefly before stating. "Kate, I have no idea what half the things on this menu are."

"I know that." she huffs. "How does it sound to you?" He looks down at the menu again. "This is our first thanksgiving and I want it to be perfect!"

Oysters on the half-shell; brown-bread tartines topped with celery and radishes.

Clear soup with grated cheese.

Fish fillets, served with sauce Hollandaise and potato balls.

Roast turkey; sweet-potato soufflé; glazed turnips; individual moulds of cranberry jelly

Mulled cider.

Roman punch.

Vanilla Ice-cream with pumpkin pie, cheese and coffee.

He looks towards her and nods. "It sounds delicious." Kate lets out a moan and scrunches down in her covers. He rubs her shoulders. "You're a bad patient."

"I hate the nausea. Make it go away." He turns her face towards him and kisses her. She makes a face. "That was disgusting, I just vomited."

He chuckles. "Come here." She obliges and settles into his arms. He presses a kiss on her forehead. "Can I touch you?"

"You are touching me." she points out, grumpy tone in her voice.

"Well, I was thinking a little more," he runs his hand down her back to her hip. "intimately."

Kate's eyes widen and she stares up at him. "Jodie will be back any second."

"So, is that a no?"

Kate hesitates. "I'm wearing pajamas."

"Won't be a problem." He chuckled at the look on her face. "I'll stay on the outside of the fabric, ok?"

Kate nods. "I guess…alright."

"Since you're almost ready…I should start getting you used to my touch, eh?" Kate nods. A tap on the door causes him to groan. "That can't be the tea yet."

"Come in!" Kate says cheerfully.

"You're enjoying my misery." He states.

"Maybe." Kate sits up at the exact moment Thomas's hand moves to grab her inner thigh, his thumb pressing against her center! "Whoa!" she shrieks as he laughs at her. "You're a terrible man!"

"Mommy? Daddy?"

Both their heads swivel towards the door to see Charlie, Ruby and Ada standing there. Kate claps her hands. "Hello! Oh, I've missed you two!"

He waves them over. "Come here you two." ruby and Charlie instantly hop on top of the bed.

"Charming picture." Ada says with a telling look in her eyes. "You look well tom."

"I've felt better." He states as he hugs Charlie. "But I'm glad to see both of you."

"Are you feeling better?" Ruby asks him.

"Yes, I'm almost better."

"Excuse me." Kate hands Ruby over to Thomas and vomits into her spare basin.

Thomas reaches for the cloth on his nightstand. "It's just Kate who's under the weather right now."

"Right." Ada says practically. "Charlie, Ruby, let's let these two take some time to get better."

"Thank you Ada." Thomas says as Jodie comes in with the tea. "And here's your tea." Those words produce an extra stream of vomiting from her mouth. Jodie hands him his cup of tea first. "Thank you."

Kate reaches for the cloth from him, wipes her mouth and flops back on the bed. "I want this to be over!" she whines. "And I hate your room. Nothing personal, I've just been stuck in it for almost 2 weeks!" Jodie hands her the cup of lemon balm. "Thank you." she blows on her tea several times before taking a sip. "Oh, this is delicious. Thank you Jodie."

"You know," Thomas states. "if you want to redecorate the house, give it your own personal touch…feel free to do so."

She stares up at him in surprise. "Really?"

"Yes, I mean, nothing's been done to it in ages and…I'm sure you'd like to make it a little bit more you."

"Oh, thank you! I'd hug you if I didn't have this tea." He chuckles. "It's a little dark and dull in here. I will leave the wood intact though. I'm thinking wallpaper in here, a light blue maybe?"

"Do whatever you like."

"But…this is _our _room, so, I'd like your opinion.

"We'll work on it together. Oh and nothing changes in the library."

"Oh," she pouts, her lower lip stuck out as if to deliberately taunt him. "I wanted to paint the walls blue."

"No," he glowers at her "and don't go too American on me. I don't want to come down the stairs one day and see you've painted the rooms all sorts of crazy colors."

"But, Thomas," she whined. "I wanted to paint the walls in the parlor scarlet." Jodie coughs, to cover a laugh.

"Funny Kate." He pauses for a moment. "On second thought, I want to see all paint colors before they go on the walls!"

* * *

_Thanksgiving Evening,_

* * *

Thomas taps on the adjoining door to Kate's room. "Kate, are you ready? The guests will be here soon."

"Almost." She sounds as if she is struggling get dressed.

"Do you need help?"

Kate pauses before groaning. "Yes!"

Kate had taken to sleeping with him every night, but she still liked her privacy to get dressed. She was a slow mover, but Thomas figured within four more months, they'd be having a normal marriage. It was nice to have someone there with him at night again. Kate, was a very clingy sleeper though. She'd fall asleep first and before he nodded off, she'd be partly sprawled across his chest. His nightmares had been few, but he suspected that they were holding back, waiting to attack him when he least suspected it. Kate, always sensed the nightmares and each time he jolted awake, he'd awaken to find her holding his hand in her sleep before awakening herself. She just seemed to know.

He pushes the door open and stops still in the doorway at the sight of her. Kate is wearing a tight, skin colored dress with a deep plunging back. There's a black lace overlay atop the dress, giving her an irresistibly sexy look. Her hair is curled and hanging down her back. She turns towards him. "I can't get the sash tight enough." She complains, her words drawing attention to her cherry red lips. "Can you help me?"

He nods and she turns her back to him, her hands on her hips. She lets out a sigh as he helps her secure the sash. "There you go."

"Thank you. The only good thing about the influenza, is that I lost several pounds." Thomas wraps his arms around her waist, burying a kiss into her neck. She laughs lightly. "Do I look alright?"

"Beautiful. Like a painting," he turns her slightly towards him, kissing her throat. Kate shudders and grips a hold of his coat. "that I want to unwrap."

"Thomas-

"Tell me," he bites her earlobe, causing her to let out a cry. "how mischievous are you feeling tonight, Mrs. Shelby?"

"You'll ruin," she pants breathlessly, causing him to smile. "my makeup."

"Trust me," he grips her skirt tight in his hand as he runs his hand up her leg. "I won't touch your makeup."

"What are you," Thomas cups her center through her lacy black tap pants. Kate lets out a loud cry, causing him to cover her mouth with his hand. after a moment, he removes his hand from her mouth. "Thomas…we've got company downstairs."

"Then you better make sure they don't hear you." he growls by her ear. "Do you trust me Kate?" she nods. "Right." He pulls her a few steps away from the mirror towards the wall. "Hands against the wall," her eyes widened in surprise, but she did as he asked. "and, I'll give you something to think about during dinner."

* * *

Kate inhales deeply as she attempts to concentrate on her cranberry sauce, but she can't. her hands are still shaking and her body is still pulsing from the violent climax Thomas had brought her down from almost an hour ago. Her cheeks heated again as she remembered him keeping her against the wall as he touched her so intimately. once her body started responding to him, she threw decorum out the window and asked him to be inside her. Thomas and his determination to make her suffer through a slow seduction had obliged her by sliding two fingers inside her. He'd spoken Romani in her ear, causing her to whimper piteously as he pumped until she came around his fingers.

he'd pulled away from her, rearranged her skirts and walked back into his room, leaving her there against the wall. at first, she was stunned that he didn't go further with her. Then, her heart had skyrocketed when he turned towards her and announced. "January 1st Kate…I'm going to make love to you Kate." And with that, he left the room, with her standing there, her body throbbing and her mind spinning. As if he sensed her thoughts, he glances at her, his blue eyes dancing in amusement. Damn that man! he'd promised her he was going to make her crave more from him and he had been doing exactly that.

The night had gone relatively well, apart from Arthur and Noni meeting. The two had gotten into an intense argument about boxing within 5 minutes of meeting each other. Luckily, Noni and hadn't thrown Arthur through the window, as she'd done to one of her male suitors many years ago. However, in spite of the argument, she could see that both of them were genuinely attracted to one another, especially when they went to the bar and grabbed the same bottle of whiskey.

Polly sat next to Jeremiah, Finn and Isaiah. Michael and Gina had turned down her invitation, which had pleased Thomas greatly. Charlie and Ruby were thrilled to actually be having dinner with the family, instead of up in their rooms. Kate had spent a good few hour teaching them the proper table etiquette.

A clanging draws everyone's attention to Noni. "Well, I for one, would like to thank our hostess, Kate, for inviting us to such a lavish dinner party. Why, you felt the need to invite me to an intimate family dinner, I'll never know, but I'm beyond thankful that you did."

Kate smiles. "Thank you Noni." She clears her throat. "Now, thanksgiving is a holiday to celebrate everything you received this year. Traditionally, at our house, we all go around the table and share what we're most thankful for." Everyone looks slightly embarrassed to have to reveal such a thing. Kate smiles as she stands up. "Don't worry. I'll go first and give everyone a chance to think of something." Everyone chuckles. She inhales for a moment. "The thing I'm most grateful for…is all of you, especially my husband Thomas." Thomas shifts in his chair, so he can get a better look at her. "As many of you know, I've lost people that I loved and I spent so many years in hiding because I didn't want to get hurt again." she turns to him and flashes him a smile. "Luckily, I happened to meet a man who declared, I was too beautiful to stay single for long, and made it his mission to make sure that I fell in love with him. And of course," she shrugs helplessly. "I did." Everyone laughs, except for him. she suspects it's her declaration that's got him pinned in his seat. "And by doing that, not only was I able to start life anew, I gained a wonderful man who's been the most wonderful husband any woman could ask for. I now have two darling children and a close-knit family that I never had. So, thank you everyone." Noni started the applause as Kate sat down, with a faint blush. "So, who wants to go next?"

To everyone's surprise, it's Thomas who stands up first. Kate watches him as he rolls his lit cigarette between his fingers for a moment. "Then thing…I'm most grateful for…is you Kate." She stares up at him in amazement. "In all honesty, I look at what you took on by marrying me and I'm amazed. You said you'd bring healing into my life, and you have. You're like a summer wind that's blown through this house, touching everyone inside. You saved my life and stuck with me at my worst hour. You never gave up. I've loved before in the past, but…I've never had anyone love me with such a steadfast love as you." Kate's eyes start to water at his declaration. He sets his cigarette down on his empty plate as he reaches for her, pulling her up from her seat. "My wife, thank you, for ever agreeing to marry me in the first place." She laughs lightly as everyone chuckles. Well, Noni lets out a cheer. "Come here you."

Kate wraps her arms tightly around his waist, closing her eyes as he kisses her, causing tremors to run down her body. New Years Eve could not come soon enough!

* * *

**Idcam: Hmmm, that's an idea, isn't it?**


	38. 38: Aerial

Chapter thirty-eight: Aerial

* * *

_December 7th,_

* * *

Kate exhales as she comes down the stairs; she's exhausted and slightly miserable. She had been glad that her bout with influenza was finally over, so, no more vomiting. Thomas hadn't had a good night last night, he'd thrashed around for a bit, but she'd held onto him. It took a while, but he'd finally calmed down after almost two hours of restlessness. Kate made a note to ask her doctor for a few ideas, she was exhausted from worrying about him and it was wearing down her body. The vomiting had started up 2 days ago, even though she'd been over the influenza for two days. Kate was certain it was something she'd eaten, but she couldn't quite narrow it down. Truth to be told, she'd rather sneak back upstairs and go to bed, but, there was work to be done.

The hall phone rings and Kate sighs as she picks up the phone. "Hello?"

_Hi Kate! _It's Noni. She smiles faintly. _Is Arthur there?_

Kate glances around to see Arthur walking towards the library. "Arthur. Telephone."

He frowns. "Who is it?"

She smiles and hands him the phone and receiver. "It's Noni."

His brow rises as he heads towards her. "What does she want?"

"No idea." She smiles as he takes the phone from her. "Find out, won't you?"

Arthur lets out a huffing sound as he asks. "What do you want?" Kate heads towards the library as Arthur snorts. "You're insane. No. no, I'm not coming down there!" he jolts. "And you call yourself a lady?"

Kate bites her lip to keep from laughing as she taps on the library door. "Enter." Tommy said, slightly testy, but polite.

She steps inside and sees that he's entertaining a man and a young woman. She can tell from the look in his eyes that he was as tired as she felt. "I'm sorry to disturb you Thomas." she said in as wifely a voice as she could muster for the moment in front of company. "I just came to retrieve a book for some research. I won't be long."

"No worries." He stands up with a smile. "This is Mr. Livingston Dow and his daughter, Marietta." He holds his hand out towards her. "And this…is my wife, Katherine Shelby."

Kate recognizes Mr. Dow from the papers. Thomas had mentioned he'd be stopping by this week and that the man was a boring, old fart. Kate deduced that he was old fashioned, so, she slipped into character. She bobs her head as she demurely folds her hands, presenting the look of a submissive housewife. "A pleasure to meet you both."

Mr. Dow actually dares to check her up and down in front of his own daughter. "An honor, Mrs. Shelby." Mr. Dow states. "You could join us if you wish."

"Please do." Marietta pleads. "I'm here to keep an eye on father and I'm bored to tears."

Taking sympathy on the teenager, she smiles. "Alright, why don't you accompany me to the parlor? I'll ring for some tea."

The girl jumps up from her seat. "Anything."

Kate grabs the Count of Monte Cristo from the bookcase before acknowledging the men. "Gentlemen, feel free to join us after you've concluded your business."

Thomas nods. "We will Kate."

Marietta hurries out of the room, very impatient as Kate closes the door behind her. "Thank God. I _hate _it when men talk business."

"Why are you here then?" Kate asks as she leads her way to the parlor.

"Dad's sick, I'm supposed to make sure he remembers to take his pills and not choke on his vomit, should he spasm."

"I see." Though Kate thinks with that flippant attitude, this girl really isn't someone she'd want to watch her should she need medical assistance.

"Pardon me," Elton states as he approaches her with a medium sized box. "a package from America has arrived."

"Ah, it's probably the sheet music." She takes the box. "Thank you. And Elton, might you ask cook to prepare us some tea? We have two guests."

"Of course, Mrs. Shelby." He states as he turns to head down towards the kitchen.

"Oh, please open it!" Marietta begs. "I love the new American music."

Kate hands her the package. "Be my guest." Marietta tears into the package with gusto as Kate sinks down onto the couch. She hides a yawn behind her hand.

"Wow," Marietta pulls out a piece of sheet music and studies it. "do you play?"

"A little bit."

"I love to play the piano, I just never have much of an opportunity to play on a proper instrument." She makes a face. "Father doesn't approve."

Kate smiles indulgently. "In that case, feel free to try out ours." Marietta hurries over the piano. "It may be out of tune though. I haven't gotten around to playing it yet."

"Do you sing?" Marietta asks her green eyes wide.

She nodded. "A little bit."

"Wow," she sits down at the piano bench. "this is a beautiful piano."

Kate nods. "Yes, my husband has excellent taste."

"Why don't you accompany me?" Marietta invites her. "You have all this music, why not?"

She stammers, but decides just to humor the girl. She's just too worn out to argue today. "Alright, but I warn you, my voice isn't that good."

And of course, Polly wanders into the room just as Marietta started the intro with a flourish. _Some day he'll come along, the man I love. _She leaned against the edge of the piano; Marietta lowers the key to match her range. Polly smiles approvingly. _And he'll be big and strong, the man I love. And when he comes my way, I'll do my best to make him stay._

It was in that moment that Tommy decided to enter with Marietta's father._ He'll look at me and smile. _They make eye contact for a brief moment and she smiles at him._ I'll understand. And in a little while, he'll take my hand. _Kate feels Thomas's eyes on her as she keeps her eyes glued on the sheet music. _And though it seems absurd, I know we both won't say a word. Maybe, I shall meet him Sunday, maybe Monday, maybe not. Still I'm sure to meet him one day; maybe Tuesday will be my good news day. _Kate inhaled, blinking back the tears that suddenly decided to surface. It was an emotional song though, so full of promise._ He'll build a little home that's meant for two, from which I'll never roam. Who would, would you?!_ _And so all else above, I'm waiting for the man I love. _

Marietta squealed and instantly applauded, as did everyone else. "You're amazing! I've never heard anyone sing like that!" she turned to her father. "Have you!?"

He applauded politely. "You have an unusual voice Mrs. Shelby."

She nodded in acceptance as she moves to sit down. "I never claimed to be a good singer."

"I heard passion and heart." Polly stepped towards her, studying her carefully. "Our Kate's endured a lot in her time; it comes out when she sings."

Thomas nodded as he held out his hand towards her, drawing her back to his circle. "Indeed. This is why I never deny her anything." She flushed as she sat down beside him. He leaned forward and kissed her brow, causing her to tremble. "That was beautiful dearest."

"Thank you."

She shivers and rubs her arms. He frowns. "You ok?"

She nods. "Yes, I'm just a little cold."

He scoots closer to her, wrapping his arm around her. "Better?"

"Yes. Thank you."

"Tell me," Marietta sat down opposite her excitedly. "what would you think about singing on stage?" she immediately began shaking her head. "Why not? You'd be fabulous!"

"I'm a wife and mother." She reminded Marietta. "My place is here."

Marietta huffs. "A woman's place is in the home. This is 1930 now; a woman doesn't need to be so dependent on a man."

"Marietta." Her father says sharply. "My apologies, she's just turned sixteen and thinks she knows everything."

"No, it's alright." Kate says with a smile. "She's young and inquisitive."

"Mr. Shelby," she turns to Tommy. "you wouldn't allow talent like hers to go unsung."

Thomas reaches calmly for a cigarette. "I have no objections; Kate is free to do whatever she wants."

"See, he has no objections!" Marietta points out. "You can do whatever you want!"

"Did you ever think that maybe all I ever want is just to stay here?" she asked, her tone causing everyone to pause in place. "My husband is a very good man. If I wanted a career in the theatre or anywhere else, he'd be the first one in line to support me in my venture. Our marriage is open and free."

"Then…if you can do all that, why are you here?" Marietta questioned. "You're one of the few women who can do whatever they want."

"Because… I'm happy here." She states honestly. "I have a home, a family, and a man who loves me dearly," he squeezes her hand, "so my life is fulfilled. I don't need anything more, someday when you're older, you'll realize that's a most wondrous thing to be blessed with."

"Do you vote?" Marietta asks.

Kate rolls her eyes. "I can't abide politics. It's dull, dreary and you never know who's' telling the truth. So, if I were to vote, I'd rely on my husband's opinion, come Election Day."

"Again," she points out. "you're letting him make the choice."

"Actually, either I vote for his choice, or I don't vote at all. It's that simple. I don't bother to do research, I hate politics, it's tedious and I trust his judgment."

"You could learn a thing or two from Mrs. Shelby." Her father states as Elton comes in with the tray of tea. "She's learned how to balance a career and domestic life."

"It should be one or the other!"

"And why not both?" Kate inquires. "Or are you simply not capable of managing both?"

"I just dislike the idea of submitting to a man."

"Yet I'm assuming your father pays your allowance. Aren't you therefore submitting to him?" Marietta glowers at her as her father chuckles. She leans back into Thomas's arm. "Might I suggest we switch the topic, else we become violent and start throwing tea at one another?"

"By George, your wife has a witty tongue. She should be a writer."

Thomas laughs. "She is. You may know her by her pen name, Katherine Carter."

Mr. Dow bobs his head. "Indeed, all the females in the house have read them. I myself must admit, that I read your latest novel, 'the Lavender Cottage.' It was a very gripping story and daring in this time and age to make your main character German."

Kate smiles. "Yes, he was a friend of mine who passed away, so, I gave him the happy ending he deserved."

Elton clears his throat. "Mrs. Shelby, I took the liberty of having cook draw up a few cucumber sandwiches."

"Thank you Elton."

"She also prepared your favorite tea, raspberry." She smiled, but for some reason, the idea of raspberry tea was not as appealing to her as it normally was. But then, that could because Thomas's cigarette was offensive to her nose today. Either way, she hoped that company would be gone within an hour before she puked all over the clean carpet.

* * *

**Idcam: Kate wasn't really puking for two weeks. She had to help Thomas through his withdrawls, which took a week. Then she caught the influenza, which got her stuck in his room for another week. Noni and Arthur are very amusing to me at the moment. Might do a spinoff, focusing on those two, but my spinoffs rarely do well.**


	39. 39: Aerial Tal

Chapter thirty-nine: Aerial Tal

* * *

The cucumber sandwich was delicious! Cook had done it again. She'd added diced cranberries and walnuts to the cream cheese mixture. Before Kate realized it, she had polished off almost three of the sandwiches. Maybe her discomfort was because she was just hungry! Or at least, that's what she thought until she felt her stomach churning, threatening to expel the contents. She reaches for her tea and takes a huge gulp of her raspberry tea to quell her stomach, which seems to only fuel the rising bile. She takes several more large gulps, hoping to send her food back down.

Thomas glanced at her, seeming to sense her discomfort. "Kate? You alright?"

She can't answer him. Kate drops her cup of tea, jumps up and heads towards the trashcan by the door. She drops to the ground just in time to vomit her sandwiches and tea inside. She groans as Thomas kneels beside her.

"Elton, Kate needs water." After a few moments, her stomach gives her a break. Thomas offers her his handkerchief. "Here."

"Thank you." she croaks, until her stomach decides to empty more of the contents. Kate groans as she retches, spewing more tea and sandwich in the basket.

Tommy turned to Polly. "Call the maid please." She nodded and loudly rang the bell and Thomas turns to Elton. "Send for the doctor."

"Thomas," she rasps as she wipes her mouth. "I'm fine."

"No, you're not." He picked her up and carried her back to the couch. She rolled her eyes as he set her down. He pressed a hand against her forehead and his eyes narrowed. "Poll, she feels like she has a fever."

"I'm fine."

"Shut up." Polly ordered as she felt her forehead. Polly removed Kate's gloves and undid a few of the buttons at her neck. "She is warm, so it's probably a slight fever."

She shakes her head. "No. I just got over the influenza."

Jodie runs in, causing Thomas to look up at her. "I need ice water; a damp cloth and I need her room prepared for when the doctor arrives."

"Thomas!" her voice rose. "I am perfectly-

She began gagging again. Thomas grabs the flower centerpiece, emptied it onto the ground and holds it up under her mouth as she spewed up the last bit of tea. "Tell me that when you're not vomiting." She smacked his hand while another stream of tea went from her mouth into the vase.

Marietta and her father stood. "We'll take our leave; don't bother to see us out. I hope you feel better soon Mrs. Shelby."

Kate spits into the vase. "Thank you. I think…it was that jar of marmalade I had this morning. It tasted off." The thought made her stomach roil and she began dry heaving.

"Forgive me if I don't see you off." Thomas states as he rubs her back as Jodie runs back in the room.

The maid puts the cloth on her head. "Here you go Ms. Kate."

"Mrs. Shelby." Thomas said sharply.

She waved at him as she sat up. "Thank you Jodie." She shot Thomas the look. "She's a friend, I asked her to call me Kate."

Jodie hands her the glass of water. "Here you go."

She smiled and took a few sips. The cold water felt good as it swirled down her warm system. She exhaled and smiled. "Ok, I feel better. Maybe I was just dehydrated."

Thomas shook his head. "You're not well. You've been working too hard."

Jodie steps behind her and undoes the choker necklace, placing it on the table in front of her. "Here you go."

She chuckled. "Look at you three, don't be so concerned." She sighs as she puts her feet up on the couch. "I'm sure I'm fine."

"You've been vomiting for the last two mornings this week." Jodie pointed out gently, causing Thomas's eyes to narrow. "You should be sure you're alright."

"What else has she been doing that I don't know about?" Thomas asked.

"Nothing!" she snaps before taking another sip of her water.

"Aside from that Sir, nothing." Jodie hesitates before asking. "Would it be impertinent for me to suggest that…she may be…with child?"

Kate gags on her water and looks at Thomas. He shakes his head. "Definitely not possible. Please, go ready her room."

Jodie nods and hurries out of the room. "Are you sure?" Polly asks. "She could

"Positive." Kate adds. "We haven't even discussed the idea of having children."

"Besides," Thomas adds in a lower voice to Polly. "Kate and I haven't been intimate yet."

"He's making me wait until January first." Kate glowers at him.

"I have my reasons." He assures her, with a cocky grin.

Polly frowns. "You have the date picked out?"

"His choice," Kate huffs. "not mine, but at least you know that it's virtually impossible for me to be pregnant."

Polly snorts. "You two are idiots. Tell me, are you two going to have children at some point in the future?"

Kate frowns. "Not right away, I don't think. My hands are full with Ruby and Charlie right now."

Thomas nods in agreement. "Yes. Now's not the right time. Maybe in two years?"

Kate shrugs. "My biological clock is pretty much shot. The odds of me having children are extremely unlikely."

"Don't you want children?"

Kate grips his hands. "I've got your children and that's enough for now. If we're blessed with any more children, then that's wonderful."

Elton comes in the room. "The doctor happens to be visiting his mother in Birmingham today. His secretary got a hold of him and he is enroute. He should be here within 20 minutes."

"Honestly," Kate yawns. "all three of you are making a big deal out of nothing."

"Let me put it to you this way Kate," Thomas states as he takes a hold of her hand. "if you go down, the whole house goes down."

"Comforting." She juggled her water in her hand, cleared her throat. "So, how'd the merger go?"

"He was impressed with how I managed to keep 'my wife on a leash', so, he agreed to the merger."

"Funny." She exhaled. "I'm going to burn in Hell one day for all these lies I tell."

* * *

_15 minutes later,_

* * *

"Doctor Blake is here." Elton announces.

"Hello." Kate moves to stand up, but Thomas forces her to sit down. "I should almost move my residency out here. This whole family has been very beneficial in helping me pay off my mortgage."

"Happy to help you out." Kate states sarcastically. "However, there is nothing wrong with me. All three of them are getting all worked up over nothing."

"She's been vomiting for three days." Thomas states.

"It's been a stressful week." Kate states. "There's been a ton of Christmas preparation to be done."

"Then as a Christmas present for me, let the doctor examine you." Thomas stands up and looks towards the doctor. "She doesn't take care of herself and I want a full report on her health."

Doctor Blake nods. "Of course Mr. Shelby. Now, if everyone could clear the room, I'd like to examine her now."

Everyone grumbles and files out of the room. "I get very little privacy around here."

"Well," he smiles at her as he sits down opposite her and opens his bag. "you're lucky to have a family that cares for you."

She nods. "Indeed I am."

"So, how has your husband been? He able to kick the opium?"

"He's been doing well with it. He even found a few packs that we'd missed when clearing them out of the house and flushed it."

"That's good."

"It's…the nightmares that are hard for him. Is there anything to help him with that?"

"Try looking into natural herbal remedies to help him sleep. I am corresponding with a colleague of mine, Arthur Frederick Hurst. He's been working with shell-shocked soldiers for years and he's been having success. I hear that he's able to cure a man with just one session."

She frowns. "How does he do that?"

"That's what I'm endeavoring to find out. But what I gather is, he takes them into the hills and has them recreate the battle they were in."

"Interesting. Could you give me his address? I'd like some advice."

"Of course. But now, enough about your husband. Let's focus on you for the moment."

Kate nods as she allows the doctor to check her pulse, temperature and ask her several questions. Some of them were rather personal, so she was glad no one else was in the room. Thomas probably would have had a fit at some of the questions.

She wasn't sure what was wrong with her, but nothing had prepared her for Doctor Blake's diagnosis. "Well, the good news is you appear to be pregnant."

Kate blinks before laughing. "Not likely."

"The signs point to it."

"No, no, no." she grins. "It's really not possible. Mr. Shelby and I have a celibate marriage."

He frowns. "You're positive?

"Of course, I'm positive."

Doctor Blake frowns. "I'm sorry to ask this question, but, were you intimate with anyone at least seven weeks ago?"

"No, I've not had relations with anyone other than my husband."

"I thought you two have a celibate marriage? When did you two have relations?" Kate freezes as the thought hits her like a ton of bricks. She covers her mouth as she counts back the weeks. He smiles as he asks smugly. "Remember something?"

She would have smacked him, were her blood not running ice cold through her veins right now. "We… consummated our marriage." He continues to smile at her and she speaks desperately. "But you can't get pregnant from doing it once! It's not possible!"

"Well, not usually, but in your case," he sighs. "it appears that the two of you managed to create a child. Congratulations."

Kate shakes her head as her ears begin to buzz. "Bloody…Hell." And those were the last words she said before she passed out cold!

* * *

**Angel029: Yes!**

**Idcam: Yes, she is. But I'm not sure she's crazy about the idea!**


	40. 40: Strange phenomena

Chapter: Strange phenomena

* * *

"In all my twenty years of doctoring," Kate moans as the world swirls back into color. "I've never had a woman faint on me just because she's pregnant."

Kate groans. "I can't…believe I actually fainted." She pushes the smelling salts out of her face. "I never faint. I didn't even vomit when I was a nurse in Verdun."

"Well due to your medical experience, surely," he grips her arms and helps her into a sitting position on the couch. "you must have suspected you were pregnant."

She shook her head. "No idea." He chuckles at her shock. "How…is it even possible?"

"Well, to put it delicately, were you on your monthly cycle when you two consummated your relationship?" she nodded, still too shocked to be anything be embarrassed. "You've not had it since?"

"Yes." Kate croaks, shocked to realize that she hadn't even noticed when her periods had stopped. But then, it has been a very, very busy time.

"I would assume that the consummation was enjoyable for both partners?" She shrugs, not wanting to answer that question. "Well…did you feel this intense feeling inside you before he-

"Don't." Kate cuts him off, now growing embarrassed. "I am fully aware with how an orgasm works. I'm not one of those uneducated women. It's just," she exhales deeply. "a baby. I wasn't expecting a baby."

"No one ever is." he grins. "That's why it's always a pleasant surprise."

She places her hand on her stomach. "We…weren't even planning on having children. Not for a few more years."

Doctor Blake is silent for a moment before saying. "You can't get rid of it, because of who you're married to. There's no one within this country who'd risk Thomas Shelby coming after them."

"I couldn't get rid of the baby. It's just…now's not the right time." She sighs. "We're working through some things. Can I rely on your discretion that you won't tell him until I feel it's the right time?"

"Of course, I can't keep it from him long. You will need to tell him before he calls me back to check on you again. And believe me; he will when he notices you're not getting better and the morning sickness will become more frequent." the doctor puts his equipment back in his black bag. "And not to mention, he will notice your increasing."

Kate groans and lies back on the couch. "Oh, that man! This is all his fault." She blinks a moment. "Actually, it's my fault. He didn't want to consummate the marriage, I made him! Oh, why am I even telling you this?"

"Because you need someone to confide in as you absorb this news." He studies her. "I'm sure things will be alright when the baby arrives."

"How can you be so sure of that?"

He studies her for a moment before stating. "I've seen my share of unhappy couples, you two are not. He is very concerned for you and he's in love with you." Kate's cheeks heated at his observation. "Judging by your reaction, you love him too. When the time comes, this child will grow up in a happy home, with two loving parents."

"I hope you're right."

"I'm never wrong in cases like these." He stands up and helps her to her feet. "Shall we go?"

Kate nods and they head out of the parlor, her mind spinning like crazy. As they walk down the hall to the entrance, Kate's not surprised to see Thomas is sitting on the lower steps of the stairs. He jumps up from his spot. "What's wrong with her doc?" he asked striding towards them. The concern on his face is touching

"Nothing to be concerned about." Doctor Blake says smoothly. "She's simply vitamin deficient. She needs to eat more greens and food with iron."

That's such a flimsy excuse, she's not sure Thomas is going to buy it. "You're sure she's not being poisoned?"

"I am positive." He nodded. "She's also been overworking herself, which is upsetting her stomach. Try to get her to eat something to help her stomach. Ginger or lemon tea and crackers should help."

Thomas nods. "Send me a list and I'll make sure she has everything she needs."

"Also, see to it that she eats at least one meal a day and has a few snacks." Thomas nods while she glowers. "Some cheese or something light to help her."

"Yes. I'll make sure of it."

"Thomas, I'm not a baby." He glowers back at her. "I can take care of myself."

"I know that. I'm just ensuring that you do it properly!"

"I'm going upstairs," she muttered. "for a bit."

"Hang on to those stairs tightly." The doctor advised. "With those headaches you've been having, I wouldn't want you to fall. She should rest today."

Kate shakes her head. "I'll take a nap, but, I've got work to do. My decorator is coming today."

"Send him away and call him in a month."

"No. he turned down an important client to help me. I can't put him off like that."

"Kate, I haven't insisted that you do anything, for me but today, I am." he grips the banister. "Please, take the day off." she opened her mouth to object, but then he said. "I'm worried."

She nodded before saying. "I promise, I won't do anything after I'm done talking with Alex. After he comes, I'll stay on the couch and relax. I promise."

He nods. "Thank you. Doctor, I'll see you out."

Kate smiled. "Thank you for coming over on such short notice." And with that, she walked up the stairs, clutching onto the rail tightly for her mind was in a daze. She still couldn't believe she was pregnant. How was she ever going to tell him?

* * *

The moment Thomas steps out of the house with the doctor, he closes the door. "Is there anything else that I need to know?"

Doctor Blake studies him for a moment. "I've known your wife for almost 10 years now and she always gets a little depressed this time of year."

Thomas nods. "I'll keep an eye on her."

"She's not suicidal, but, she has a tendency to start missing people she's lost in her life." the doctor hesitates before adding. "Might I suggest taking her away after the holidays? She needs time away from this house and people. I'm sure she loves everyone here, but remember, she was a solitary person. Now, she's back under the scrutiny of the public, so, that can be very stressful."

"That's a good idea." Thomas hands him the envelope of money. "Thank you for coming Doctor."

Doctor Blake nods his head, Thomas turns, and heads back inside. He exhales deeply; Kate probably really did need a vacation. That would explain why she'd been down these last few days. Then, a thought hits him.

He'd never taken Kate on a honeymoon. Thomas glances up the stairs, a plan forming in his mind. He'd find out from her the exact date of her birthday, hopefully, she was a summer birth. She probably didn't know when his birthday was either.

But where did she want to go? He could ask her, but then that would ruin the surprise. His next thought, had him grabbing the phone and dialing a number he hadn't planned on calling. Her father's residence. After arguing with the butler for five minutes, the phone was finally handed over to Mr. Kovach.

_Shelby, I'm in the middle of something important._

"Question. When Kate was growing up, did she mention where she wanted to have her honeymoon?"

_You called me up, to ask me this? _Her father was exasperated. _She's your wife. Ask her._

"If I asked her," he snapped back. "it wouldn't be a surprise now, would it?"

Her father lets out a huff. _Fine. There was one place Kate wanted to go._

"Where?"

_France. _The blood froze in his veins at that word. He sat down in his chair, gripping the phone tightly in his hand, which has started to sweat. He swore he'd _never _go back to France. _Specifically, the French Riviera and Paris. _Thomas stunned silent. Of all the places in the world to chose from. Kate wanted to go to France. Why in Hell did it have to be France? _Hey? Are you still there?_

Her father's irritated voice brought him back out of his fog. "Yes. Thanks. Goodbye." And with that, Thomas hung up on him. He let out a deep sigh before leaning back in his chair to look up at the ceiling. Why? Why did she have to want to visit France?

* * *

**Idcam: She'll be completely fine after she adjusts to the whole idea. **


	41. 41: James and the cold gun

Chapter forty-one: James and the cold gun

* * *

_Two days later,_

* * *

Thomas stands in the doorway watching Kate. He has been watching her for almost five minutes and she hasn't noticed he's there. She's also been sitting in the window seat in her room for the last two days. She bites her lip before writing something down on her paper. The doctor was right, she's under a lot of stress and he hopes that she's able to get enough sleep with his reoccurring nightmares happening right at her elbow.

Kate lets out a sigh and peers out of the window. Another melancholic expression on her face. At that moment, he makes up his mind. He's got to get her out of here for a while. He heads towards the stairs and hollers down them. "Elton! Have my car readied!"

"Yes Sir!"

Thomas turns and enters her room, causing her to look up at him. She frowns. "Hi, what are you," he doesn't answer as he lifts her out of her spot and into his arms. She shrieks as she grabs a hold of his neck quickly. "What on earth are you doing?"

"I," he shifts her in his arms and heads for the bedroom door. "am taking you out for lunch."

Kate stares at him. "What has gotten into you?"

"You've, been working too hard." He carefully trots down the stairs.

"Don't drop me."

He shoots her a wounded look. "I've never dropped you yet."

"I know, but there's always the first time." The moment Kate says that, his foot slips out from under him a few steps from the bottom and he lands on his backside. Kate lets out a faint shriek, then a yelp as her foot hits the banister. Kate looks to him and then starts laughing.

He laughs as he adjusts himself and lifts her up. "Cute, Mrs. Shelby."

"I didn't cause that to happen." She protests, with a smile. He heads towards the door, grabbing his coat and hers. Kate's green eyes widen in surprise. "You're serious? You're actually taking me into town for lunch?"

"Yes." The chauffer has the back door open for him. Thomas, however, goes to the front and opens the passenger seat for her. After situating her, he takes the keys from the chauffer and climbs into the driver's seat. "Just you and me."

She looks at him suspiciously. "And what brought this about?"

"To be honest, you have." her face blanches, just slightly. "You've been working too hard and prior to your surgery; I used to take you places. Dinner, dancing, the movies, on picnics and other things."

"We were courting."

"And, we're just now leaving the confinement of courtship and entering into marriage. However, I figure I still owe you a few more outings."

Kate shakes her head. "No, really you don't."

"And, I probably owe you quite a few birthday presents. When is your birthday?"

"December 24th."

He nods his head. "Almost born on Christmas."

"When is yours?"

"October 7th."

Kate stares at him. "But…that was the day we got married!"

He smirks at her. "I know."

Kate shakes her head and snuggles into him. "Well, it could have been better."

He kisses her. "Trust me Kate, you're the best birthday present I've ever got. And I love you."

Kate smiles up at him. "I love you too, so very much."

"Promise me, that if you ever need to talk to me about anything, you'll let me know?"

Kate nods and holds onto him tighter. "I promise." Even with that promise, he still felt as if she were holding something back that was troubling her. He hoped that she'd tell him soon whatever it was that was troubling him. Maybe after she finished her shopping. Women always felt better after shopping.

* * *

Kate smiled as she admired the deep red satin gown in the three full-length mirrors. "This is lovely, but not for Christmas. However, it'll be perfect for Valentine's Day. I'll take it just the same."

"Excellent choice Mrs. Shelby."

"Shelby?" Kate turns towards a young salesgirl, her expression slightly hostile. "Any relation to Thomas Shelby?"

Kate nods. "My husband."

Kate inhaled sharply as the hot coffee soaked her new dress. The second saleslady and shop owner manage to restrain her, despite being white with terror. The salesgirl spits at her. "Shelby scum. Your husband crippled my father!"

In spite of feeling sorry for the girl, Kate felt sympathy wasn't deserved in this case. "Then you already know that my husband is a very dangerous man." she reminds her. "One time…a friend of his aunt's son was attacked in a bar. After beating the men…they burned the bar to the ground." the shop owner sank to the ground, face pale. "Now my father is Gilbert Kovach, so you really picked the wrong woman to throw coffee on."

"Please," the owner begged. "I need my business."

"Now, I won't say anything to either of them," she turned to the owner. "if this girl is dismissed immediately."

"She's fired!" the owner said assuredly. Two other salesgirls grabbed the girl and dragged her out of the room. "No pay either!"

"I need a letter of reference!" she pleads. "I need this job!"

"You get nothing from me!" the woman screamed as another saleswoman helped grab her. "You jeprodized my company and all of my employees. Get her out of here!" the owner turns to her. "Again, I am so sorry. I had no idea that she had a-

"Listen," Kate says gently. "I'm not like my husband. I won't say a word to my husband, I promise." The woman exhaled in relief. "And if he does find out, I won't let him do anything to your shop. I swear it. I love your shop and attire. Now," she smiled gently. "since this dress is ruined, my I try on that lovely white velvet dress in the window?"

"Yes, it'll be on the house."

"I'm not like my husband." She shakes her head. "I'll pay 50%, ok? You have to make some money."

Her smile was wobbly. "You really aren't like your husband."

"No. I'm not going to deny that he can be a ruthless man at times and I can't make excuses for him." She exhaled. "All I will say is he had a hard life growing up and then the war didn't do him any favors."

The woman nodded understandingly. "My husband came back a different man. He is now finally accepting help and he's becoming the man he was again."

"Mine won't take help, so, it's a constant struggle."

The owner actually feels bold enough to rub her arm. "You just hang in there. They're doing wonderful things since the war."

"Thank you." Kate exhales before asking hesitantly. "Do you have anything new in nightwear?"

The woman nods at her before smiling. "Yes." She turns to the two salesladies' and snaps her fingers. "Go fetch the white velvet dress in the window for Mrs. Shelby. Also, the blue French silk cape and dress by Jean Patou." She turns to Kate. "once you're in the white velvet dress, I shall bring you what you asked for. I believe I have just the thing for you."

"My husband is going to be surprised. I said I was only going to try on one dress!"

"Husbands are used to that sort of promise." The owner adds with a laugh. "And they should know by now that one means one dozen and he's got a bill to pay!"

Fifteen minutes later, Kate was walking towards the car with her several bags of clothing. Thomas smiles approvingly from his seat in the car. "And, you're smiling." He drops his cigarette into the street. "Did you have fun shopping?"

"Wait till you see what I bought." She puts her bags in the back. "I love this store, the owner has such-

Suddenly, Kate goes flying backwards as someone grabs her by the hair and knocks her down to the hard pavement! "Hey!" Thomas shouts as he jumps out of the car. A sharp blow to her ribs causes her to instantly cover her stomach. Kate's first concern is for her baby. She catches a few more well aimed kicks, she manages to block her face.

"Get your hands off my wife!" Thomas shouts. The female attacking her stops, obviously not expecting him to be there. Kate sits up into a sitting position with a sharp inhale as Thomas hits the girl in the face with his hat. The girl lets out a scream as she grabs a hold of her bloody face!

"Thomas!" Kate calls. He's angry, she knows, but she needs to get to doctor. "I need you!" He kicks the girl in the stomach one last time as he kneels down beside her. "I need to see the doctor." She stated firmly. "Now."

"I got you." he carefully lifted her up from the ground. She let out a cry of pain. "What hurts?"

"It's my rib. I think it's broken." Tommy kicked the girl in the stomach one more time before hurrying to his car. She inhales sharply as he opens the door and carefully sets her inside. He slams the door shut, running over to the driver side and starting the engine. Kate holds onto her stomach as Thomas heads down the street. He reaches for her hand and grips it tightly as she prays that her baby is safe. If she miscarried now, how was she going to tell him that she lost their baby before he even knew they were going to have one?

* * *

**Idcam: That's the million dollar question, isn't it? Is he ready yet? **


	42. 42: Somewhere in Between

Chapter: Somewhere in Between

* * *

Thomas brakes in front of Doctor Blake's small weekend clinic. He tries the door, but finds it locked. He peers through the glass window before suddenly kicking the door open, causing her to jump in surprise.

She stares at him as he yells to someone inside the building. "Where's the doctor?" he demands.

"You can't just-

"Where is he?" he shouts, causing everyone in the street to jump. Kate supports her waist as she gets out of the car and heads up the stairs, gasping with each step.

"Sir, I'm going to ask you to," Thomas ignores the startled secretary and heads towards the back room. "You can't go in there!"

"Thomas," he spins around and approaches her. "just wait a minute."

"You shouldn't be walking." He rumbles as he picks her up. "You're injured."

The back door opens and there's Doctor Blake holding an apple. "I should have known it was you Mr. Shelby."

"Some woman attacked Kate in the street." He says as he approaches Doctor Blake, turning sideways so she doesn't bang her legs on the wall. "She thinks she has a broken rib."

"You owe me a new door." he states calmly as he heads back to the room. "Bring her in."

"I don't like him." Thomas huffs as he heads into the examination room.

"You'll like me less in a few seconds." Doctor Blake states. "Put her down and then go wait in the examination room."

"No."

"Yes, you will leave. If her ribs are broken, I will have to examine her after I bandage her ribcage."

"You will not-

"Thomas," Kate pleads. "please, go wait outside."

"But Kate-

"He knows what he's doing. Please. I need some privacy right now."

He exhales deeply. "If that's what you wish."

Kate nods. "It's what I need. I'm sorry." He sighs and heads out, slamming the examination door. "God!"

"I'm assuming, he still doesn't know he's a father yet?"

Kate nods. "I just…haven't found the right moment."

"Unbutton your blouse please." Kate nods and does as he asks. She holds her breath as he leans over her to examine her ribcage. Kate inhales sharply against the pain as he touches her. "Breathe." She nods, closing her eyes as she inhales and exhales. He runs his hand along the deep purple area. "Your rib isn't broken. It's badly bruised, but that should be healed in three to four weeks. I recommend you stay home."

"Is my baby alright?" she asked. "I covered my stomach first."

The doc nodded. "Yes, I can see that you protected your abdomen, so, all should be well. There's not even a mark." Kate exhales and covers her eyes as the tears she'd been holding back flowed down her cheeks. "At least one good thing came out of this Mrs. Shelby. You now know how you feel about having this baby."

She inhales and nods. "Yes."

He chuckles. "Good, you can button up your blouse now." He heads over to his medicine cabinet and hands her a small tin. "Here's a witch hazel salve, it'll help."

"Thank you." she tucks her blouse back inside her skirt waist.

"Is there any other areas I need to look?"

Kate shakes her head. "She got my arm, but, it's just a bruise."

"Good. Now, I'm going to go let that angry husband of yours in here." Kate laughs lightly as he heads to the door and opens it. She glimpses Thomas leaning against the wall, smoking his cigarette. "No smoking allowed." He points to the sign. "See?"

"And you can go-

"Thomas!" Kate says sharply, drawing his attention to her. "Put out the cigarette, now." Thomas glances around and sticks it in the fish bowl, causing Doctor Blake to sigh and pull the cigarette out of the bowl as Thomas hurries towards her. "You're such a child at times."

"Are you alright?" he asks as he sits beside her, his eyes running all over her.

She nods. "I'm fine, it wasn't too bad."

"She's got a bruised rib, a few cuts," Doctor Blake assured him. "but nothing serious. She should rest once she's home. Make sure she keeps ice on the rib, it'll help speed up the heeling."

Thomas nods as he lifts her up. "She'll do that doc. Come check on her tomorrow."

"May I remind you Mr. Shelby that I do have other patients?"

Thomas glowers at him. "Do they pay you as well as I do?"

"No, but sometimes, they need me more."

"Apologies, my husband is very overprotective of me. How about this?" Kate says. "I'll call you if anything feels out of the ordinary."

Doctor Blake nods. "Good. After all, you're a nurse. Please record your temperature and pulse. If you have trouble breathing, then let me know."

"I'll mail you a check doc." He heads out of the room. "I'm taking you home."

"Thomas, put me down. I am not an invalid!"

Thomas ignores her as he addresses the secretary. "I'll also have someone stop by to repair the door today."

She chuckles lightly as he walks carefully down the stairs. "You silly man," he stops and glowers at her as she caresses his face gently with her hand. "I won't break. Put me down for a moment, please."

"Why?" he asks suspiciously.

"Trust me." he hesitates but sets her down on the ground. Kate grips his coat lapels as she tugs him towards her and kisses him deeply. He runs his hand through her hair, which is hanging down around her shoulders. She wraps her hands around his waist as he breaks the kiss.

"Mrs. Shelby-

"I'm aright Mr. Shelby. Now, take me home." He takes her arm and leads her down the final step towards the car. He holds the car door open and gets her situated before hurrying around to his seat. Kate scoots closer towards him as he starts the car and heads back home.

"I'm sorry Kate. I wanted you to have a nice afternoon without any trouble."

"And, you gave me a good afternoon. I had a lovely time until that incident happened."

"Do you know why she did that to you?" he asks firmly.

"I do." Kate sighs. "The girl apparently has issues with you. You blinded her father, for some reason?"

He shrugs. "Possible, can't remember details."

"So, she had a vendetta and threw coffee on my dress."

Thomas glowers at her. "Is she a salesgirl at that store? If she is, I swear I'm gonna burn that store down."

"You'll do no such thing." He glowered at her. "The girl who attacked me was fired and left without any pay or résumé."

"That's not enough!" his anger was simmering. "You're my wife!"

"I say, it was enough." Her voice rises. "You cut her face Thomas! Let this be the end of this."

Thomas brakes the car in the middle of the street and turns towards her. "You're trying to make me into something I'm not! No one is going to attack my wife and get away with it!"

"You are free to be whatever you want! But please, don't ruin someone's life on my account. It was an attack on me and I've stated what I want to be done." she inhaled. "I love that store and I gave my word to the owner that you'd leave it intact."

"Damn you, Kate."

"Damn you too, Thomas Shelby." He glowers at her as all her suppressed worries came bubbling out. "I love you as I've never loved _any _man before in my life." he blinks in surprise. "What am I to do if something happens to you and I know it was because of me?"

"Kate-

"By God," she smacks his arm. "you saw what loosing Emmet did to me!" he catches her by her wrists. "If I were to lose you because of something that happened to me, I would never, ever forgive myself." She hiccupped as tears began trickling down her cheeks. "So please, just let it go!" He suddenly pulls her tightly against him as she holds onto him as if she's afraid he's going to slip away from her.

"I've got you," she lets out a shudder as she allows herself to cry, letting out the tension from the last two days. "I've got you Kate." He kisses her deeply and quickly before pulling her back against him, pressing kisses against her face. "You won't lose me Kate."

"How do I know that?" she asks him as he wipes away her tears. "No one knows that."

"It'll take a bullet to my head or heart to stop me and maybe, not even then." He holds her gaze. "Please…don't worry about me."

"I do worry about you, I worry about you because I love you." she snaps. "And I know you worry about me too. You're obsessive and overprotective," he opens his mouth to protest, but she cuts him off. "which I love and appreciate. For a long time…no one cared what happened to me and it's such a wonderful feeling to know that someone cares for me as deeply as you. And there are times…when the tension between us is so strong that it frightens me. I'm scared that if I lose you… I know that I'll never know or feel anything like this again in my life. I don't want know this feeling with anyone else but you."

He nods, seemingly without words for a moment before kissing her on her nose. "Let's get you home, my love." He exhales deeply as he pulls her into his side. "I'll let it go this once."

"Thank you." she exhales and wraps an arm around his waist.

He places his arm around her shoulder and holds her tight. "I've got you. I'm not letting you go Kate."

* * *

**Angel029: The baby is alright.**

**Idcam: She's alright, but at least now she knows how she feels about having a baby!**


	43. 43: Feel it

Chapter forty-three: Feel it

* * *

_Christmas Eve,_

* * *

The bang on the door causes Thomas to bellow. "I'm busy!" The door opened anyway, causing him to groan. He knows exactly who it is without even looking up. "Kate."

"Your growls don't intimidate me Thomas." She states as she walked briskly over to his desk, pulling on some bright orange gloves, which definitely clashed with her brown dress. She hops up onto his desk. "I've just come to let you know, I am taking Ruby and Charlie out on a walk."

He frowned. "It's Christmas eve. Don't you have a ton of details to fuss over?"

She shakes her head, her hair stuffed up inside an orange cap. "Yes and no. I am taking them both out for a quick walk, so I can calm down. I am too hyper right now."

"I've noticed." He states. Kate's been going through various moods. She could be happy one moment, angry the next and tearful within a seconds notice. He'd told everyone about the doctor's warning about Kate's stress, so, all the adults took it in stride. Kate kept her mood swings in check around the children though.

He'd kept his promise and had done nothing to the girl. He'd let Polly and Finn have that pleasure. Polly had left the girl with another scar on her face; no one crosses the peaky blinders. They all swore to hide this detail from Kate. In spite of her desire for mercy, his authority couldn't go unchallenged. Whether he liked it or not, Kate was going to make him weak, he could feel it. It wouldn't be her fault, she didn't ask him to change, but he could feel that something was going to change in his life.

"Very funny." She wrinkles her nose at him as she crossed one leg over the other. "They both want to see the waterfall and since it's frozen, I thought they'd enjoy seeing that."

"It's a little bit of a walk Kate."

"I know which is why I'm letting you know where I'm going. Otherwise, you'll go into one of your moods and have everyone out looking for us when it'll be totally unnecessary!" he rolls his eyes. "I should be exhausted enough when I return from the walk to finish up the last minute details calmly."

"Fine." Kate brings up her hem to her knee so she scratch her leg. "Why Kate, do you insist on sitting on the edge of my desk?"

She frowns. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, are none of the chairs in here comfortable for you?"

She blinked. "Don't know, never thought about it before." She leaned forward slightly. "Why? Does it bother you?"

"Not really bother." He glances at her exposed ankles. 1930's and she was still wearing ankle length dresses. Still, she had a good-looking ankle. "Distract more likely." He admits as he takes a hold of her hem, twirling it between two of his fingers."

"Well, you work a lot." Kate says with a teasing smile. "A distraction once in a while isn't going to hurt you."

He chuckles and runs a finger softly from shin to her knee, drawing her skirt up with the tip of his finger. "That you know of."

Kate's smile wavered as his finger paused on her knee for a second and continued upwards. He glanced up at her and his gaze caused her to inhale. "Maybe I do know," she whispers gently. "and that's why I do it."

Unable to take her teasing for a moment longer, Thomas jumped out of his seat and advanced towards her. She brought her legs down as he leaned forward and kissed her. She let out a whimper as he kissed her with a passion. He'd removed his hand from her skirt and both of his hands were gripping the sides of the desk. He wasn't touching her, just working his mouth against hers. His body was so close to hers that he could feel the want practically burning inside of her.

Kate reached up and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. It was in that moment that he touched her. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her against him. She moaned as he moved against her, lifting her slightly off the desk. God, he just had to hold out for six more days, but this intoxicating woman wasn't making it easy on him. He could have sworn that she was deliberately baiting him since she no longer wore pajamas to bed. Even though it was winter, she'd swapped them out for silk nightdresses that seemed to be getting shorter and more inappropriate. Last night, she had him grab her a nightdress, which she'd conveniently forgotten on the bed. He'd gone into the bathroom, to find her all wrapped up in a towel, her cheeks a rosy hue. Oh, he barely managed to leave the bathroom before the urge to seduce her overpowerd him.

Kate out a breathy gasp as he reached for the neck of her blouse; pulling it down to expose her shoulder. He leaned forward and kissed her shoulder, causing her to tremble and grip his forearms tightly. Unable to resist, he bit her shoulder, causing her to let out a strangled gasp and dig her gloved hands into his arms. He felt Kate slide a curled foot up his leg as he gripped her hip, pushing her against him.

She held onto him as he dipped her onto his desk. He held his hands on either side of her head as he worked her mouth open and slipped his tongue inside. Kate let out a faint squeal as she reached for his coat and pushed it off his shoulders. _That _made him move.

He nudged her leg aside so he could carefully get atop her. Kate bit his lip lightly as she wrapped her legs around his waist. Papers and pens were falling off his desk, but he couldn't care less. To hell with the remaining six days, he wanted her now!

"Bloody hell!" Arthur's voice caused them both to jerk apart. "Lock the door Tom!"

"Bugger off Arthur!" Thomas shouted angrily at him.

Kate blushed red before she started laughing crazily as Arthur slammed the door. "Poor Arthur."

He shakes his head in amusement as she continues howling with laughter. "You're a mad woman Kate."

"Hmm," she loops her hands around neck. "then why'd you marry me?"

"You know damn why I did."

She smiles faintly. "Maybe I do." She gently pushes him off her so she can hop off the desk. "I need to go take our two children for a walk." She adjusted her blouse, pulling the strap of her slip back up.

He lets out a groan. "God."

"It's alright Thomas." she smiles brightly at him. "I'm sure you've got a meeting to get to, don't you?"

"Yes." He grumbles as he picks up his coats and dusts it off. She tucks her dress back into place and attempts to put her hair in some semblance of order. "We'll finish this later." He says before he can stop the words from coming out of his mouth.

"Of course." Kate continues towards the door. "Preferably…. not with your hands tonight Mr. Shelby."

Thomas stops with one arm in his sleeve, shock coursing through his body for a moment. "Kate?" she turned towards him, hand on the library knob. "Do you really mean that?"

"Shall we say Mr. Shelby," her eyes are dancing as she says teasingly "that I've given you something to think about?"

"You're a bloody tease," he groaned as he heads towards her, intent on throwing her on the couch and taking her. "Katherine Shelby!"

Kate lets out a shriek and bolts out of the library with him hot on her heels. Kate nearly collides with Arthur, who's waiting by the front door. She spins around and laughs as Thomas glowers at her. She reaches for his scarf and drapes it around his neck. "Be back home at a decent hour, else I'll be asking you what time do you call this?" Those words cause him to jolt slightly as she arranges his scarf. He flashes back to when he recalled teasing Grace with a promise of marriage on Black Star Day. Grace hadn't taken it well. "Now, tomorrow's Christmas, so, don't be late." She patted his chest with a smile. Thomas catches a hold of her hands and holds them tightly, prompting her to study his face carefully. "What is it?"

He didn't say anything right away. Just reached up and tucked a strand of her hair back behind her ear. He smiled faintly at her before leaning forward and pulling her into a gentle kiss that tasted of a promise. Kate's eyes stayed close for a few moments after breaking the kiss, completely under his spell.

"I'll tell you when I get back." He promised.

Kate nods. "Stay safe."

He nods. "I'll be back for you."

She smiles as she adds mischievously. "You better be." She stepped aside and called. "Ruby! Charlie!" The front door opened and there they were waiting for her. "Ahh, you're ready. Wonderful!" unable to stop himself, Thomas squeezes her behind firmly as he passes by her. Kate barely reacts; she catches his hand, squeezing his fingers. "Be sure to say goodbye to your father!"

He shoots her a look as she pulls her coat tightly around her. She sits on the edge of the stairs to put on her thick walking boots. "We're going to see the waterfall!" Charlie crows as he hugs him.

"It's cold." Ruby pouts, looking like a grumpy cherub.

Kate holds up a small basket beside her. "I brought thermoses of hot chocolate and a few sandwiches just in case you two get hungry."

"See? Your mother's got you both taken care of." He kisses ruby's forehead before fist bumping Charlie. "Now, your mother is a little hyper today, so, she needs to talk a walk to calm down. Be sure to wear her out."

"Yes." Kate says dryly. "Your father is too busy to wear me out, so, you two will have to do."

Thomas just stares at her, lost without words for the longest time. Kate smiles, standing there with her hands in her pockets. If he didn't have to go pick up Kate's present, he'd have pulled her back inside to wear her out properly.

"Let's go Tom." Arthur states. "Else we'll be late."

"Right." He stands up and walks towards Kate. "See you when I get back." He says as he kisses her. Kate lets out a purring sound. He holds her close to him as he adds in a lower whisper. "But when I get back…I will make sure you're too exhausted to leave your bed tomorrow."

Kate stays still and when he pulls away, she has an arched brow as if she doesn't believe him. "We shall see Mr. Shelby."

"Don't be gone too long." Arthur adds as Thomas heads to the car. "We're expecting more snow tonight."

Kate nods. "Thanks for the warning Arthur. See you two when you get back!"

"Yeah." Arthur hops into the car and slams the door shut. "When you get back, give her a good seeing to."

Thomas punches him in the arm, causing Arthur to laugh harder. "And you," he shoots back. "need to either man up and divorce Linda or cut Noni free."

Arthur snorts. "I'm not going to marry Noni."

"Why not?"

"The woman's' bloody crazy!" Arthur proclaims. "I'm going to marry another lunatic."

Thomas is silent for a moment before asking. "Did you lose another boxing match to her?" Arthur glowers at him. "Did you invite her for dinner tomorrow?"

"She's meeting us at the field. Says she's got her bag packed."

Thomas laughs at him. "You're next Arthur, whether you like it or not. Kate picked Noni for you."

"What Kate needs," Arthur shoots back at him. "is you doing right by her." Thomas shoots him a look. "I'm serious, the looks you two shoot each other are getting damn uncomfortable now. So, do us all a favor and bloody take her to bed already!"

"Well, guess who mucked up that plan?"

* * *

**Idcam: Now, Thomas has to hope that he can survive Kate and her raging hormones before January 1st.**


	44. 44: 50 words for snow

Chapter forty-four: 50 words for snow

* * *

Who knew they got the occasional snowstorm in England? This was not Russia!

Kate kicks the door to the cottage closed. The wind is still howling outside. She looks at the dusty phone and exhales deeply. It had been disconnected, so, she couldn't call the house. She hopes that no one had gotten up a search party for them. It had been a beautiful day, not a cloud in the sky. They'd made it to the waterfall and all was fine.

However, by the time they made it to the cottage, the sky had darkened and the wind had started to whip up, sending snow spiraling around them. Even though the house wasn't far, Kate didn't feel safe walking when she couldn't see the ground clearly in front of her. If something happened to her, then her unborn child would be at risk and ruby and Charlie would have to go for help.

Kate tucks a few more blankets around the children, making sure they were warm enough on the couch. Her bedroom was fully furnished, but she didn't want them to catch a cold because it was drafty in there. Luckily, for them, all of her stuff had been left here and there were a few canned products here for them to eat. True, beans and semi-stale crackers weren't a perfect meal, but neither complained. She did find a tin of cocoa, which really cheered them up. Kate was hungry, but her stomach didn't want any of those foods.

She threw a few more logs of wood into the fire. It wasn't too bad in here. Tomorrow, hopefully the storm would die down and it would be a wonderful Christmas. However, as far as her birthday normally went, today was a more eventful one than she'd had in years, but this was n_ot _how she planned to spend tonight.

. Kate sighed as she knelt before the fire, hoping the heat will dry out her soaked woolen skirt. So much for telling Thomas not to be late! Damn, that man was stubborn. She thought for sure the sight of her in a towel with her wet hair would have broken him, but he resisted. Men, her mother said were weak, but he had the strongest willpower of any man she'd ever met. After all, she was his wife! Right there for him to take, if he dared to break his silly idea of waiting six more days! Come January first, she wasn't sure who was going to make the first move. She was practically ready to jump him. Maybe she should have just dropped the damn towel yesterday. Nope, she wasn't that bold, still, he'd have been surprised.

It was in that moment the door blew open with a bang! The children screamed and she jumped up just a snow covered figure entered the room, causing the children to scream more. However, she knew that figure anywhere. It was Thomas.

"Shh, it's alright!" She assured them as she hurried towards him.

"You alright?" he asked as he locked and bolted the door behind him.

"Yes. Thomas Michael Shelby," she tried to sound stern, but she was so happy to see him that he wasn't going to be fooled. "what are you doing in this storm without a decent winter coat? You must be freezing!"

He hesitated, but returned the embrace she enfolded him in. "Knew you had to be here."

He kissed her deeply. In spite of the ice on him, his kiss warmed and chilled her at the same time. She pulled away as Charlie and Ruby ran towards their father. "I'm sorry, the storm came out of nowhere and I didn't want to risk getting caught in this blizzard."

"You made the right choice."

"How did you get here?"

"I rode." He removed his hat. "I tied the horse up on the far side of the porch so he's out of the wind."

"The horse?" She chuckles as Charlie and ruby latch onto his legs in a hug. "You have to name him at some point Thomas."

"When he deserves a name." he looks around. "Do I need to get firewood or anything?"

"I just brought some in." She tugs on his arm. "Come on, let's get you warmed up."

"Daddy's all wet." Ruby says as he removes his coat and kneels beside the fire.

"It's pretty cold out there." he rubs his hands together. "Did you two eat?"

"Yes. Mommy didn't." Charlie reports.

Thomas exhales. "I brought you some cheese Kate. It's wrapped up in my coat pocket."

_That _gets her stomach growling. "Oh, thank you God for blessing me with such an intelligent husband!"

He chuckles as she pulls out the tightly wrapped wedge. "The doctor said you needed to eat some."

Kate smiles as she takes a bite of the Lancashire cheese. Just what she needs at this moment. "Is that blood?" at Charlie's voice, Kate stills and looks towards Thomas, who's looking at his arm.

"Ah, caught it on a branch. It's nothing to worry about."

"Charlie, can you get the first aid kit under my sink please?"

"Yes mom!"

"Kate, it's just a scratch."

"I'll be the judge of that." she states as she unbuttons his shirt and eases the shirt off his shoulders. She peers close. "That's a deep gash Thomas. Ruby, can you get me a glass of water please?"

"Yes!"

"I've had worse." His voice near her ear causes her to smile.

"And, I've seen much worse." She states as she looks up, to find they're so close that his hair is touching her nose. She inhales and whispers out. "So, I'm just going to clean and bandage it. You can handle that, can't you?"

He shrugs. "We'll see."

Kate chuckles as she tears a strip of her petticoat off, dips it in the water and wipes the blood away. The children sit and watch her, completely fascinated by how she's tending his arm. Thomas sits calmly there, his hand on her knee making circular motions. It's his eyes that are slightly unnerving to her, the chill way they just watch every move she makes.

She secures the bandage. "There you are. As good as new."

"Right." He turns to the children. "Both of you, back to bed. It's almost midnight now."

"So, what time of night did you get back home, Thomas Shelby?"

He shoots her and arched brow. "Snow storm kept me out until 11:00."

"And it took you an hour to find us. It must be whipping out there."

"Not really, I didn't' bother to get a lantern so, I couldn't' see where I was going." He heads into the room and stops. "It's cold in her Kate."

"Well, now that you're here," she heads over and pulls off the comforter. "you can help me pull the mattress in here."

Five minutes later, the mattress is on the floor beside the couch. Both the children are snoring, causing her to smile. Those two always managed to fall asleep so fast, no matter what the circumstance.

Thomas shrugs out of his wet trousers and hangs them over the rocking chair to dry off. Kate tucks the covers around the grunting children with a smile. "In bed Kate." Thomas orders. "You're going to get cold."

"Just need to take a few things off." she states as she sits down on the coffee table to remove her shoes and stockings. Her wool skirt is semi-dry, but still heavy to sleep in. Kate can feel Thomas's eyes on her as she unbuttons her blouse. She glances at him to see that he's blatantly staring at her, without even blinking.

She holds his gaze as she slowly eases her blouse down around her shoulders. He inhaled sharply and laid flat on his back, looking up at the ceiling. She chuckles to herself, enjoying his discomfort as she undoes the few buttons on her skirt, allowing it to fall to the ground before picking it up and hanging it over the armrest of the rocking chair. He's still looking up at the ceiling, but she can feel his anxiety from here. She smiles as she approaches the mattress, observing his hands tightly fisted by his side.

He holds back the covers for her, revealing that he wore only his undershirt and pants. She bit her lip as she carefully got under the covers and he covers her up as she puts the blanket on top of them.

Her feet brushed his, causing him to inhale sharply. "Sorry."

"You're feet are freezing. Come here." Without waiting for a response, he pulled her close to him and she exhaled. He rests his chin rested atop her head. "Happy birthday Kate."

She smiles. "Thank you."

He kisses her gently, causing her to moan. He breaks the kiss and rubs her arms. "Sleep. Storm should be over in the morning." Kate nods as she closes her eyes, snuggling against her husband's side. He lets out a deep sigh and tucks his arm under her head. Kate doesn't know why he often tucks his arm under her head when he sleeps, but she likes it. That small gesture of his leaves her feeling safe and cherished. And that's the best gift that anyone could ask for.

* * *

**Idcam: You mentioned the Christmas present, which gave me an idea. I took out 3 chapters, but the end result is so much better than my original idea. **


	45. 45: The sensual world

Chapter: The sensual world

* * *

The front door thudding shut causes Kate to stir. Thomas exhales deeply, muttering something in Romani. She has no idea what he's saying, but damn, does it sound seductive.

She inhales and opens her eyes. To her delight, his face is but a few inches away from hers. "Hi."

"Sorry about that." He explains. "The storm ended, so Charlie and ruby wanted to go play outside and they slammed the door on the way out."

"Hmm, it's alright, I like this," she states as he runs his hand down her bare shoulder. "waking up to you holding me."

"You don't feel too bad either." he says as he smirks down at her.

"Merry Christmas." She breathes against his skin.

A soft light entered in his eyes and he nods. "Aye. Merry Christmas."A strand of his hair hung down in his face, she reached to shove it back at the same moment he reached for it. His hand covered hers, causing her heart to pound in her chest.

She inhaled deeply as he studied her face carefully. "Kiss me."

"Believe me, I intend to." Her heart flutters in her chest as he lowers his head towards her mouth. She lets out a quiet whimper as he kisses; his kisses were gentle and tentative, she could feel his restraint.

She ran her hands through his hair at the nape of his neck. His arms curled under her shoulders as he rolled on top of her causing her to inhale as she felt him against her. He kept kissing her, the kisses growing more and more frantic. She parted her legs, allowing him to get closer to her. He began moving against her, causing her to shiver in anticipation. She ran her hands under his undershirt, running her hands along his muscular back. Oh, how she wanted him.

She slipped her hands downwards, hooking her thumb around the waistline of his pants and running her thumb towards his stomach. He let out a groan and Kate bucked her hips against him. That little gesture caused Thomas's resistance to snap and he finally surrendered.

With a curse, Thomas breaks the kiss to drag her tap pants down around her ankles. "I've gotta be in you." He tosses her pants somewhere to the side as he divests himself of his pants. "Sod, New Year's Eve."

Kate nods as she reaches for him as he gets between her legs, capturing her mouth with a passionate kiss. She let out a moan, arching under him as he presses a firm kiss to her lips while cradling her head with his arm. She inhales as Thomas thrusts inside of her, causing her hands to still on his sides for a moment. It didn't hurt like the first time, he was gentler, but it had been several months since she'd felt this, so, it was an unusual feeling for her.

Thomas sensed her discomfort and instantly breaks the kiss to study her face. "You alright, Kate?"

"Yes." She gasped out with a nod. "Don't stop, please."

He kissed her forehead as he began moving inside her, while gently showering her face with kisses. "God." He growled as she gripped his shoulders tightly as he continued to lay claim to her. "You feel good Kate."

Kate places her hand atop his head, bringing his mouth down to hers. It wasn't perfect, it was desperate and filled with pure need on both their parts. At the same time, there was such a strong connection of a mutual desire and affection between them, which couldn't be denied any longer. She can't believe that she's actually experiencing the overwhelming feelings running through her body.

That strange tension was building up inside her again, causing her cling tighter to him. She bit his lip lightly, she felt surprise run through him, but he responded by locking a strong arm around her waist, lifting her slightly off the mattress. He let out a groan as she instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist.

"God!" she cried out as she squirmed, desperate for some release as he continued to pound inside her.

"That's it Kate." he encouraged. "Come for me."

He had a way about him; she'd have to admit that. Who else but him would order someone else's body to do his bidding? She bit her lip, stifling a cry as her muscles clenched tightly inside her before spasming in release. Thomas came inside of her, letting out another curse before collapsing gently atop of her, his breathing ragged.

Kate exhaled deeply as her mind reeled. She could barely believe how they'd actually just had sex, without discussing anything together. They just knew that this was something they needed. No, it was more than that. It was something that they'd been fighting for a long time and they finally just gave in.

He lets out an exhale, which sounds like a laugh. She's without words as she runs her fingers through his hair. She smiles as he lifts himself up and looks down at her, a strange, yet familiar look in his eyes. He leaned forward and kissed her lightly on the mouth. She sighed trailed a finger down behind his ear. The kiss was brief and he broke it, his gaze intense as he studied her. "Kate, I l-

And that's when they hear the door open. Kate moaned in embarrassment as Thomas quickly exited her and rolled off onto his side, pulling his pants back up around his waist. "My underwear." She hisses.

He leans over and grabs them from the floor. "Here." She reached under the covers to pull them back up to her waist.

Lucky for them, Charlie must have tripped on the final step and fell down, taking Ruby down with him. Both let out an irritated sound as they got off the floor. Thomas grabs the blanket and pulls it over her. "Stay down." He whispers before turning towards his quarreling children. "Shut the door." he ordered, over their quarreling. "It's cold out there."

"You two ok?" she asked as Charlie got up.

"Fine." Ruby huffed. "Charlie tripped again."

"Stupid step." He slammed the door in irritation. "I hate it."

"Right. Charlie and Ruby, go wait in the bedroom for a minute."

"Why?" Ruby asks. Thomas just shoots her a look and she huffs. "Fine." they both head towards the bedroom.

"And shut the door!" he orders.

Kate blinks in surprise as the door shuts. "Well, you handled that smoothly."

He reaches for her and pulls her up from the bed with one move. Kate blushes as he kisses her deeply. She moans and trails a finger behind his ear as he breaks the kiss. "And how was that, Mrs. Shelby."

"God," she pulls away and reaches for her skirt and shirt. "I love the way you say that to me."

"I'll remember that." he states as he reaches past her to grab his trousers.

Somehow, they managed to get dressed quickly without anything happening. Well, Kate could feel Thomas's gaze on her, intense and probing, but she kept her gaze downwards. The feeling alone caused her heart to start bubbling in her chest.

He pulled a cigarette out of his pocket. "Come on out you two."

Charlie and ruby hurried out, looking very perturbed. "Good morning you two. Your father said you were out playing in the snow."

"Yes." Ruby sneezed. "It wasn't very deep."

"Did you get to throw snowballs?"

"Too cold." Charlie heads towards the fire. "So, we came in."

Thomas stepped past her, his arm brushing against her, causing her to tremble. "Gonna check on the horse." Thomas muttered as he grabbed his coat.

"Alright." Her voice came out as a croak. "We'll be right out."

"It's cold out there." Charlie states.

"I know, but, we're going home. It'll be a quick walk and then you can eat breakfast, ok?" neither looks convinced. "And don't forget, today's Christmas." With that, they both hurried towards the door, causing her to chuckle. "All too easy."

She puts out the fire and reaches for her thick wool coat. When she comes out onto the cottage porch, Thomas as put Charlie and ruby on the horse. He glances towards her and holds out his hand. "Come on, you're light enough to hop on up behind them."

"I'd rather walk with you." she stated, holding his gaze.

He stood there, digesting her words for a moment before beckoning her close. "Then come here."

They said nothing to each other as they walked through the snow, but Thomas held onto her tightly for the entire walk.

When the house came insight, she exhaled in relief. Polly must have instructed the staff to finish her decorating because the wreaths were hung on the doors and windows. She could hear shouting from inside the house.

"Everyone sounds busy."

On cue, the front door whips open and Finn hollers. "Tommy's back! He's got Kate and the children!"

That's when the shouting grows louder as most of the staff and Shelby family pours out onto the front stairs. Kate grabs ruby as Thomas grabs Charlie from the horse's back. They hurry up onto the stairs where everyone mobs them in hugs. Well, everyone except Michael and Gina that is.

"Where's Arthur?" Thomas asks.

"With that woman, Noni." Michael states. "Should have heard them-

"Children are present," Kate cuts him off. "watch your tongue."

Thomas nods. "You heard my wife."

"Everyone, inside. It's freezing out here." Polly smacked his arm as he passed by. "Next time, you idiot tell us where you're going!" she turns to Kate. "He heard you were missing, just hopped on his horse ad took off without a word."

"You know how impetuous and headstrong he is. We'd have called, but the phone was disconnected." She hands Elton her coat, hat and gloves. "I'm going to go get myself and the children cleaned up. We're all hungry."

"And cold." Charlie tacks on.

"How does a hot bath sound?"

"Yes!" they both cheer, actually excited

"Kate," she turns towards Thomas as he steps forward, catching her elbow and whispers into her ear. "I want to talk to you."

Kate bites her lip before shaking her head. "Thomas, it's Christmas." She whispers back "I've got so much to do before tonight."

"Kate, I need to talk to you about this morning."

She hesitates and sighs. "You're sure it can't wait till until tomorrow?"

"Thomas," Polly answers for him. "I'm not sure what you're saying to her, but Kate's got a ton of things she needs to concentrate on. It's almost 110:00 and company is arriving at 6:00. Whatever is going on between you two, it can wait till tomorrow."

He's silent for a moment before nodding his head. "Right."

"Or, maybe," she adds to give him some encouragement. "we'll find a moment to talk tonight? If not, you know you'll have my full attention after the party….when it's just the two of us."

He nods at her. "Right Kate."

Polly ushers her and the children up the stairs. "I'm not sure what happened between you two this morning," she adds. "but I hope you resolve it easy."

Kate smiles. "Trust me, it's easily resolved."

She knew what he wanted to talk about, but she knew if they talked about this morning, she would wind upstairs in their room with him. Not that it was a bad idea, but not when they had company planning to descend on them within eight hours! Once they were alone tonight, she'd be his forever without any strings attached. She was partly glad that ruby and Charlie had interrupted him before he could finish saying he loved her. Because if he said he loved her, she'd cave and tell him she was pregnant. She'd spent so much time planning the perfect way to tell him that she didn't want to deviate. However, with the way she felt about him, she knew that if he but laid a finger on him that she'd be under him and his spell.

This was their first Christmas and it had to be the most memorable Christmas.

* * *

**Angel029: Care to guess?**

**Idcam: Well, Tommy gave her a pretty good birthday gift, rather belated though!**


	46. 46: December, will be magic again

Chapter forty-six: December, will be magic again

* * *

Kate groaned and spit into the sink one last time. She checked her makeup, thankfully, nothing was too damaged and she hadn't applied her lipstick yet. After dabbing her face with a cloth, she rinsed her mouth and added her favorite shade of red lipstick, making sure to emphasize the little dip that Thomas loved.

As the final preparations got underway, everyone, including him had jumped in to help before running upstairs to get dressed. The house looked spectacular and it was certain to get quite a mention in the society pages. Checking her reflection in the mirror one last time, Kate reached for her arm length, lacy white gloves and pulled them on. Satisfied with her appearance, she leaves the room. Her heart pounds in her chest

She inhaled as she stands at the top of the stairs; her simple white velvet dress shimmered under the chandelier. She spotted Thomas, talking to the guests right away. She inhaled and just looked at his head, silently asking him to look towards her. As if feeling her eyes on him, Thomas's gaze went upwards and he froze in place as he watched her descend the stairs. She smiled at him, holding his gaze as he approached her.

He stood at the foot of the stairs, his blue eyes betraying his affection for her as he holds out his hand. "You look beautiful."

"Thank you." she took his offered hand, pausing to straighten his tie. "You look very handsome."

He chuckles and reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small box. "I got you something." He hands it to her and she hesitates. "I know, you don't wear much jewelry, but, I thought you'd like this."

She smiles as she opens the box, but her mouth drops open in shock. She gasps in amazement at the white opal pendant on a delicate silver chain. "Oh my gosh." She stares at him in amazement. "I-I wasn't expecting…this is exquisite." She removes it from the box. "Help me put it on?"

"Of course. Turn around." Kate brushes her hair out of the way, as he places the necklace around her throat. "You left your hair down."

"Yes." He places his hand on her neck, causing her to turn towards him. "You see, my husband thinks I look very comely with my hair down like this."

"Well, he's got good taste."

He leans forward to kiss her, but she places a hand on his chest. "Thomas, not in public."

"Have to Kate." She frowns as he brings his hand to reveal he has a branch of mistletoe in his hands. "It's tradition."

"Ah," she murmurs as he leans forward to claim his kiss. "fair point."

With that, his lips covered hers and her face heated with desire. There were a few catcalls as she surrendered to Thomas. She moved her hands up to his neck as he kissed her deeply. She held on tightly to his shoulders as he broke the kiss and held her gaze. However, she couldn't hold it for long, the stare was so intense. She pulled away from him, tugging at the cabin as her heart pounded in her throat.

She turned and her eyes fell on Noni, who was wearing a vibrant, turquoise silk dress. "Noni!" she hurried to hug her. "You look lovely."

"And you look like a schoolgirl who's been kissed for the first time." Noni teased her.

"Shh, Noni, please!"

"Not that I blame you." Noni glances towards Arthur and smiles. "These Shelby men… they're just something else."

Kate nods as she glances at Thomas. "I know what you mean."

"You always preferred the poetic types. Now me." she lets out a quiet growl. "I tell you, I've never had a man match me perfectly in bed before." Kate's mouth drops open in shock. "I am perfectly serious, that Arthur Shelby is all man. So aggressive."

"Noni-

"What's yours like?" Kate turns and walks away. "Let me guess, he's one of those who cries while making love to you." Kate stops in her step and turns to Noni. "Nope, not that kind. Don't tell me he's a biter."

"Noni," she hisses. "please, stop it."

Noni blinks and stares at her. "No. no way, Arthur said you two weren't sleeping together. I thought he was kidding me!"

Kate exhales. "Thomas and I aren't sex fiends, unlike you and Arthur apparently."

"I need a whiskey." Noni heads towards the bar. "But mark my words; once that man decides to put his hands on you, he is not going to let you out of that bed."

Kate was tempted to go after her, but another conversation about sex wasn't going to help her focus on her guests. Tonight was a very important night. Kate mingled with the members of parliament that Thomas had invited and she flattered them, hanging onto their every word even though, she couldn't care less what they were saying.

Dinner was a festive affair and there weren't any mishaps during the meal. Against tradition, Kate had seated herself at Thomas's right hand for the meal. They kept things light between them as society demanded, but every time they looked at each other, the tension between them caused the temperature in the room to skyrocket.

After dinner, Kate escorted everyone into the ballroom, which had been closed off for a while. Now, the room shown with a splendor that could have rivaled Buckingham palace. As she watched the couples dancing together, Kate realized someone was missing.

Her husband.

A quick glance around showed Noni was looking for Arthur causing her to smile. They were probably conducting business in the library. She exhaled and walked quietly along the hall towards the library. The clink of whiskey glasses confirm that Thomas and Arthur are in the library.

"So, Michael tells me you and Noni had an interesting night last night." Thomas states. "Sounds like you're ready to let Linda go."

"Gave her the papers. But you know her," Arthur states. "her religion won't allow it."

"Noni know about that?"

"She knows, but, she doesn't care. Wants me anyway." Arthur exhales. "Fascinating woman."

"Seems nice."

"She's different. Claims she doesn't care for gentlemen." Thomas chuckles as Arthur laughs. "And she don't like it gentle either. She likes whiskey and she doesn't like for me control myself as I had to with Linda. She says…just smooth off the rough edges a bit."

Thomas nods. "I know what you mean."

"So, you and Kate?" Arthur asks. "Please tell me that tonight you're going to put her out of her misery and take her to bed."

Kate covers her mouth in embracement. She held her breath, waiting to see what Thomas said. He was silent for a long time before responding. "As a matter of fact…Kate and I did have an intimate interaction this morning."

"God. Finally. The tension between you two is putting the whole family on edge" Arthur snorted. "So, how was she?"

She inhaled as Thomas spoke; knowing he'd had many women before her. "She was good, could bury myself in her for hours." unable to stop herself, she blushed in pleasure. "But…it was probably a mistake. She doesn't want to talk about it." she shook her head. That wasn't what she intended. "Seems like every time we get closer together in our relationship, she falls back."

"I saw the way she looked at you. She loves you."

"No, she doesn't."

"I heard her say she loved you a dozen times. She declared it at thanksgiving to you, in front of the whole family. Maybe the problem isn't with her, it's you. Do you love her?" Arthur demanded. "You didn't say that you did at thanksgiving."

She knocked on the door. She didn't want to hear what he said. If he didn't, it would crush her. If he didn't love her, she'd rather he just use her while being surrounded in ignorance. However, she knew he had feelings for her and they were strong. Thomas just wasn't the sort of man to declare his feelings for a person.

"Come in." Thomas said his voice still and calm again. She opened the door and stepped in; she noted a reaction on his face, as if he were scared that she heard what he said.

"Gentlemen," she smiled her expression slightly wobbly. "Noni and I are missing our dancing partners."

"Apologies Kate." Thomas put out his cigarette and stood up. "Children in bed?"

Kate nods. "Yes. They could barely make it through dinner. Jodie put them to bed."

"Just a minute Kate," she pauses, her head rising in her chest. "ask Polly and Noni to come here. I've got a present for you."

Kate blinks. "But Thomas," she touched her necklace. "this was gorgeous. It must have cost you-

"Kate." He gripped her shoulders. "That was your birthday present. Your Christmas present, well, that's another matter. Go get them ready. You're going to love this."

* * *

**Angel029: Well, both their presents shall be revealed in the next chapter.**


	47. 47: Moments of pleasure

Chapter forty-seven: Moments of pleasure

* * *

Kate frowns as she approaches with Ada, Noni and Polly. "Well, we're here. What do you have planned up your sleeve?"

"You'll see, turn around." Kate does as he asks as Thomas covers her eyes with a black cloth, possibly his tie. "Ready?"

"Yes."

Thomas gripped her hands and led her towards the front door. "I've got you."

"Now, this is curious." Ada states from behind her. "Does anyone know what he got her?"

"Only, Arthur, Thomas and I." Noni laughs. "I'm not sure how much she'll love it though."

"I still think diamonds would have been better Tommy!" Arthur crowed from behind her, causing everyone to chuckle.

"I know my wife." Tommy states as he opens the front door and guides her to stand on the stairs. "She'll love this." He leaned close to her ear. "Are you ready?" she nodded anxiously. "Good." he loosened the cloth around her eyes and she opened her eyes. "Here she is."

She blinked and gasps at the sight of their stableman holding a beautiful golden, palomino mare. "Oh my God!" she turns towards him, shocked beyond all belief. "A horse? You actually bought me a horse?"

"I know you love horses," he explained as he leads her down the stairs so she doesn't slip on the ice. "and I know you haven't had one for years. So, I looked until I found the perfect one." She patted her neck and walked around the horse, Tommy had excellent taste with horses. She was perfect. "Are you pleased?"

She turned towards Tommy, concern slightly on his face. She shook her head as she croaked out. "I'm overwhelmed." He exhaled in relief as she ran at him, throwing her arms around his neck. "She's beautiful!" she could feel he was slightly surprised by her bold reaction, but he lifted her off the ground as he returned her embrace. She planted a kiss on his nose. "Thank you!"

"Another one, nuts about horses." Arthur drawled out, causing everyone to laugh.

She blushed lightly as Tommy lowered her to the ground. "Go on back inside." he orders. "I have to show her the rest of her stuff." Her mouth dropped open in shock. "Start without us."

"Don't stay out too long." Ada says as everyone turns to head back inside. "It's freezing out here!

"You really didn't buy me more?" she asks as he leads her towards the stables. "You couldn't have."

Tommy led her towards the stables. "I bought you some livery for her. You'll need the best. Now we can go riding together."

She nods. "Yes, I would love that, but Thomas, you must not spend so much money on me."

He rolls his eyes. "Kate, you've been neglected for years. You're probably owed a few dozen gifts."

"Because of _you_, I'm happy now. Happiness is the best gift anyone could ask for."

She shivers and Thomas steps towards her. "You're cold, let's get you inside." She nods as he pulls her against him, wrapping his arm around her exposed shoulders. "What are you going to name her?"

"I think…I'll call her Ladyhawke."

He nods approvingly. "It's a good name."

"She really, is a beautiful horse Thomas." she says as he helps her up the stairs. "My gift almost seems trivial."

"What did you get me?" he inquired.

Kate bites her lip, considering if this is the best moment. She decides that it is. "Wait here, I'll go get it."

Kate grips her skirt in her hands and hurries into the parlor where the Christmas tree is. Kate grabs the small packet from under the tree and hurries back out the front door. Thomas lets his cigarette fall to the ground, grinding it out with his shoe. "It's bloody freezing out here Kate."

"I know but, I don't want to share this present with anybody else."

He takes the package and looks at it. "It's a small package Kate. I've no idea what this could be."

"Big things come in small packages." She smiles as she holds onto his arm. "Read the note first, before opening it."

"Alright." Thomas opens the note, frowning as he reads the note aloud. "You were supposed to only consummate the marriage." The look Thomas shoots her causes her to tremble. "What the Hell does that mean Kate?"

"Open the box." She prods softly. "Trust me."

Thomas bites his lip and exhales deeply as he starts to untie the package. "This better be good Kate."

"I hope so too." He opens the box and stares at the little baby boots inside. He frowns as he studies them before taking them out of the box. "They're baby boots." Kate says, her voice breaking for a moment.

Thomas frowns. "Why the hell do we need," Thomas stills and he glances at her, his expression suspicious. Kate?" she nods her head at him. He stares at her before demanding. "Are you f**king kidding me?"

Kate shakes her head, tears in her eyes. "No."

He drops the box and grips her shoulders. "Are you sure?"

She nods. "Yes, I'm certain." She bites her lip before adding. "You are the father, there's no one else."

He shoots her a look, as if wounded that she'd even think that he thought she'd cheat on him with another man. "I know that, you wouldn't let another man touch you Kate. It's just," he shakes his head. "how did it happen? I mean…we only did it once and, you didn't even enjoy it."

"Did I?" she asks with a cocked brow. "Because apparently, our 'loveless' consummation was anything but loveless."

He stares at her. "You're pregnant?"

"Yes, I am, Tommy." Kate realized that this was the first time she'd actually addressed him as Tommy, he'd always been Thomas until now. His gaze was causing the blood to pound in her veins and she couldn't falter under his gaze. "Tommy."

He didn't wait a moment. Thomas swooped in and kissed her passionately on the mouth. She let out a moan as he gripped her around the waist and pulled her against him. She hesitated for a moment, and then slowly ran her hands up his arms, to his neck. She held on as Thomas kissed until she was breathless and her mind was reeling.

He broke the kiss, breathing heavily sending puffs of air across her face. "I want you Kate."

She nods as she whispers. "I know." he leaned forward to kiss her again, but she pulled away with a shake of her head. "No, no don't." Thomas pins her against the wall, kissing her deeply. Kate moans. "Thomas," he picks her up off the ground, locking her legs around his waist. "we can't."

"My house," he growls against her mouth as his hands wrestle with her skirts. "my party and you're my wife. I'll do what I want."

"Then take me upstairs and make me your wife." she states firmly as she grabs his hand from under her skirt. "Our first time…it wasn't perfect, even though it did result in this little blessing inside me. Tonight, we should treat it as if it were our first time and then after that…you can ravish me however the hell you want, Thomas Shelby."

"Believe me," he kisses her passionately. "there are so many things I want to do to you." she blushes violently as he sets her down on the ground, breathing puffs of smoke against her face. "But you're right; romance and gentle love-making for you tonight."

"Not too gentle Thomas."

He grips her hand and pulls her towards the door. "Let's get you inside."

"Oh, before we go, I need to inform Elton that we're leaving and to make our excuses to people. We can't just disappear up into our rooms during a party, imagine how people will talk."

"Believe it or not," he mutters as he follows her to the ballroom. "I've had a few members of parliament asking why I threw such a lavish party when I had a wife who looked like you."

"Thomas, please." She reaches back for his hand as they stand in the doorway of the parlor. She scans for Elton before smiling brightly. "Listen. They're playing 'Body and Soul', it's been banned in America, because of the scandalous lyrics."

He shrugs as he listens to the lyrics for a minute before looking at her. ""Come here. I'll give you one last dance of the night before taking you upstairs." She blushed as Tommy pulled her into his arms. She closes her eyes and swayed as he moved around the dance floor, allowing herself to fall more in love with this man.

_My life a wreck, you're making. You know, you know, I'm yours for just the very taking. I'd gladly surrender myself to you. Body and soul._

As the people applaud the band, Kate catches Polly's eye and heads towards her with Thomas right behind her. Polly frowns and approaches them. "Is everything alright?"

Thomas nods. "Yes. Kate isn't feeling well, so, I'm going to take her upstairs and stay with her a while."

Polly sighs. "Again? Shall I have them send up some tea?"

Kate shakes her head. "I've already got some upstairs waiting for us. If you could make our excuses for people, I'd really appreciate it."

Polly nods assuringly. "Of course, you did a wonderful job tonight. Everyone's enjoyed themselves immensely."

"Thank you Polly."

"Come on, let's get you up into bed." Thomas states as he takes her by the elbow and leads her out of the ballroom. "At least I bloody know why you've been so ill." He says into her ear.

"And it's all your fault." Kate hisses back with a smile.

* * *

**Idcam: Yes, it took a while didn't it? Luckily, it's the 1930's, so people weren't as morally strict as they had been, but I'm certain things will work out in the end.  
**

**Angel029: Well, I don't think anyone considered a horse.**


	48. 48: Song of Solomon

Chapter forty-eight: Song of Solomon

* * *

Thomas led Kate up the stairs, his hand held hers tightly. The tension between them was so thick that she felt as if her own throat was going to close up and smother her. He opens his door and starts to lead her inside his room, but she pauses. "I'll join you in a moment."

He looks at her curiously and nods. "Right then."

Kate presses a kiss to the corner of his mouth before breathing into his ear. "Five minutes."

He says nothing, just watches her walk into her room and shut the door. Kate exhales shakily before moving towards her nightstand. As she pulls her pale pink, Grecian styled chiffon nightdress out of the drawer. She hesitates for a moment before removing her white velvet dress. Her undergarments soon follow and she decides to leave the opal pendant on. She pulls the nightdress over her head, spritzes herself with her gardenia perfume and touches up her makeup.

She stands up and surveys her reflection in the full-length mirror. The dress, while being very sensual, made it quite clear that nothing was going to be hidden. While her figure was nothing to be ashamed of, the first thing she noticed was her missing breast. She exhaled and ran her hand over the line for a moment, studying her reflection for a good thirty seconds before reaching for her peach robe. Thomas hadn't made any comments about her missing breast, but tonight would be the first time he'd be seeing her fully.

She ties her robe around her waist and walks to the adjoining doors. She places her hand on the knob and pauses for a moment. She hesitates, inhales and steps into the room. Thomas is sitting on the trunk at the foot of their bed. He looks up at her as she walks into the room. She smiles as she approaches him. He's halfway dressed; his shirt is unbuttoned and open, revealing he's got a tattoo on his chest. She leans forward to get a better look; she hadn't noticed he'd had a tattoo before. It's a curious one, like a half-sun made out of twelve strokes.

"Kate?" he asked.

"Sorry." She blushed as she rubs her neck in embarrassment. "I-I didn't realize you had a tattoo."

"Got it after the war." He states as he stands up, his hands in his pockets. Kate swallows as he steps towards her, closing the distance between them. Her eyes dance around the room; she observes that he's got a fire going in the hearth. "Kate?" she jerks her attention back to him, he seems slightly amused by her. "You alright?"

"Yes, I'm sorry…I wasn't expecting things to be this…tense between us."

"I think…that it's going to be this way between us for a while." He looks at her, running his gaze up and down her, causing her face to heat up. "Until, you're used to this, not that I'm complaining mind you."

"I want to know something first." He hooks his fingers in the waistband of her robe, waiting for her to ask her question. "When we had sex the first time…you were so very gentle and…there was this strong feeling between us. I just want to know, were you in love with me back then? "

He inhaled before confessing. "Yes, I was." She blinks, as he places his hands on her waist. "After losing Grace….I didn't think that I'd ever find love again, especially with someone like you. Nor would I think that a lady like you would…even consider marrying someone like me."

"I would have considered it," she admitted. "because I loved you."

He paused for a moment. "You loved me back then Kate?"

She nodded. "Yes. That's why…you didn't have to persuade me to marry you. I wasn't going to lose another man that I loved."

"I love you, Kate."

At those words, she smiled as she pushes his shirt off his shoulders. "I love you too Thomas Shelby."

Thomas unties her robe, eased it from her shoulders to allow to fall on the floor. The tension in the room was different; it was almost an electric understanding. Kate could barely hold his gaze as he gathers some of the fabric in his hands and pulls it over her head. Kate's body warms instantly, as she stands completely barren before him for the first time. His cold, blue eyes have a heat to them that causes her to blush all over. He holds her gaze as he removes his trousers and Kate uncomfortably brings part of her hair forward, to cover the left side of her chest.

Thomas steps towards her, his gaze threatening to knock her to her knees. They'd never seen each other completely naked until now and she hopes he's pleased. Her face heats as he stepped towards her, unclothed, with the fire casting a glow behind him. He reaches for her hair and pushes it back, revealing the line on her chest. She shudders as he looks at the line. He doesn't say anything to her. Then, he firmly runs his thumb along the line, causing her to inhale sharply. Kate lets out a cry as she grips his hand. He glances at her face quickly before leaning over and pressing a kiss to that line. Tears start to run down her cheeks as she feels his lips on her, lightly nipping and kissing the flesh there.

Kate runs a hand through his hair, causing him to straighten up and kiss her. She holds onto his hand as she steps towards him causing their bodies to meet skin to skin for the first time. Thomas locked an arm around her waist, pulling him closer against him. She trembled at the sensation of feeling her husband against him. _Husband_. That thought caused her to smile as she draped her arms around his neck.

His hands moved slowly down her back, to her hips, cupping them firmly in his hands. She shuddered, unconsciously moving her hips against him as he presses a kiss to her collarbone. She inhaled sharply as he lifted her up from the ground, pulling her up to his waist. Kate loosely draped her legs around his waist as she gazed down at him

"My wife." He said softly as he moved towards their bed.

She pressed another kiss on his jaw, moving towards his ear as he laid her down onto the bed. Kate held onto his hand as her kissed, causing her to moan. Each kiss seemed destined to turn her into liquid in his arms. His lips moved to her neck, causing her stomach to clench with desire. He moved against her, causing her to let out a moan. She ran her hands down his back as he ran his left hand under her head and entered her. It wasn't uncomfortable this time, it felt natural and perfect this time. Kate closed her eyes, reveling in the senses as he moved to each beat of her heart. No one would ever loved her more than this man, she could feel it with each little touch.

She brought her hands back up to his shoulders, noting that he had some scars along his back. His kisses were passionate as her hands moved slowly down his back. She felt the pleasure and pressure building up inside her again. Kate arched up against him, gasping against the sensations assaulting her body. She clenched tighter around him, causing him to let out a groan in the back of his throat. Thomas gripped her hips tightly, forcing himself deeper inside her. Kate bit her lip and closed her eyes for a second as she felt the explosion growing closer.

"Look at me!" Tommy shouted. The shout was so unexpected that she jumped as her eyes flew open. His blue eyes were tense with emotion as she clung to him as he ordered hoarsely. "Hold onto me."

She did as he asked, digging her nails into his shoulders as his thrusts sped up. She let out a cry as he suddenly thrust so deeply inside her it was as if he'd intended to bury himself completely inside her. His release brought her own and she held tightly onto his neck as the waves of pleasure overwhelmed her. God, how she wished this could have lasted forever. Thomas collapsed atop her, cursing under his breath. He pulled her close and held onto her; Kate was in awe of what they'd just shared together. Had she not been pregnant, she would have been pregnant after this bout of love making with him.

He started to withdraw from her, only to suddenly thrust hard inside her again, causing her to cry out in surprise. "Just making sure," he breathed against her face. "I broke you in…good and proper this time."

She nodded. "Bloody hell."

"Terrible accent, Kate." He planted a kiss to her pounding throat. "I knew there was a fire in you, love."

The word 'love' caused her to smile at him as she gently stroked his cheekbones. "I didn't want to ever fall in love again, nor experience anything like that again."

He kissed her nose. "And now?"

She smiled as his lips moved across her cheeks. "I don't…want to lose this feeling again. I don't want it to stop."

He withdrew from her, rolling her over onto her stomach. Kate frowned in confusion as he pulled her up onto her knees. "Believe me Kate," he breathed in her ear as he pulled her hips against him, causing her to gasp. "it's not going to stop for a long time tonight." Kate gasped as he bit her neck hard, causing her to grow wet again. She could feel him getting hard again. He ran his hand down her side, stopping to caress her belly before continuing towards her wet heat. "There are still so many things," he slid two fingers inside her, causing her to strain against the tight grip he has on her waist. "that I plan to introduce you to tonight, Mrs. Shelby."

And that he did.

Kate let him ravish the hell out of her. After making love for the third time that night, they were both finally spent. Kate lay sprawled across his chest, her head resting against the tattoo on his chest as her eyes drooped, heavy with sleep. As she closed her eyes and exhaled, she felt him let his guard down and relax.

And, for the first time, his dreams were peaceful and undisturbed.

* * *

**Idcam: He did, didn't he? I had to rewrite that scene 15 times until I was satisfied with it.**


	49. 49:Oh, to be in love

Chapter forty-nine: Oh, to be in love

* * *

Kate yawns and stirs to find the bed empty. She frowns; they've _always _woken up together. "Thomas?" She calls as sits up and looks around the room. She then remembers she's naked and pulls the sheet up to wrap around her chest.

He comes around the corner, pulling on a shirt. "Kate." He steps towards her, sits on the edge of the bed and kisses her. "I'm sorry. I forgot to tell you last night that I have to be in Birmingham this morning." At her disappointed look, he adds. "I had put all business on hold for the first week of January. You," he kisses her neck. "talked me into ravishing you a week early."

Kate laughs as she tilts her head back, allowing him access to her throat. "So, it's my fault?"

"Yes." He exhales deeply before standing up. "I'll be back as soon as I can get away."

Kate nods. "Just stay safe."

"Well, having spent all night with you," he shoots her a pointed look as he resumes buttoning up his shirt. "I'm in a hurry to get back to you."

"Can you pass me my nightdress?" She asks, as it was on the floor.

"I'm running late," he commented as he begins to put on his tie. "get it yourself."

She rolls her eyes and huffs. "You're no gentleman, Thomas Shelby."

"Well, you're no lady." She throws a pillow at his head, which he easily ducks. "Hey, I took you good last night and I know for a fact," he smirks impishly at her. "that no lady screams like that."

"Been with many ladies, have you?" she inquires as she begins to pull the sheet free from the bed. "Not that I'm jealous," she assures him, noting how he stiffened up slightly. "I just know for a fact that you're far more experienced than I am in regards to sex. not to mention, you're a terribly attractive man and any woman wouldn't hesitate into jumping into bed with you."

"You didn't." he pointed out as he turned towards her, pulling on his vest.

"I actually considered it," she finally got the sheet free and stood up out of the bed. "that night in the hotel."

His brow arched in surprise. "What made you decide not to?

"Because I wanted to be more than just a one night thing to you. that was the moment I knew that I wanted to be your wife."

Thomas laughs lightly, causing her to pull the sheet tighter around her. "That…was the same night I made up my mind to go buy you a ring. And then," he steps towards her, pulling his suspenders up over his shoulders. "get you pregnant with my third child."

Kate laughs. "Why Thomas Shelby, you did intend to get me pregnant after all!"

"Yes, but not this soon. As to your other question…let's just say I know enough to know that a proper lady wouldn't marry a peaky blinder."

"Well, lucky for you, I had a lapse in my proper judgment and fell in love with you." She picks her nightdress up from the floor, shaking out the wrinkles in the chiffon fabric. It was at that moment Thomas grabbed her around the waist and spun her around in a tight embrace. "Tommy!" She squealed as he dropped her atop of the window seat and got atop her. His laugh mingled with hers as he looked down at her, his blue eyes dancing. She ran her fingers through his hair. "You're incorrigible!"

"Maybe I am." He leaned forward and kissed her on the mouth before pointing out to her quietly. "You called me Tommy again."

She paused and reflected back. "I suppose I did."

"Say it again." He requested.

"Tommy." She repeated as she brought her hands up to caress his face. He kissed her twice and warning bells started to go off as he began to untangle the sheets from around her. "Tommy, not here."

"Yes." His hands began to unwrap the sheets. "Here and now, wife."

"No, no, no." she grabbed his hands and sat up. "You've got to be leaving, there's no time for this."

"They can wait a bit….you, need to be satisfied."

"As much, as I would love to be with you right now." She stretched upwards to kiss him. "You need to eat and take care of whatever it is that's going down without any distractions from me." She leaned over to grab her peach robe that was almost out of reach. Thomas gripped her elbow, keeping her from falling on her face until she sat up. "I'll be waiting for you when you get back."

He exhales. "Fine." he pulls her up from the window seat and helps her into her peach robe. She knows the gesture is meant to appear as if he's being helpful, but Kate knows better. She's appreciating the view and his hand wanders on occasion. "Don't be wearing anything too difficult to get out of once I get back."

"As my husband wishes." She chuckles as she turns towards him as he kisses her. the moment his lips touch hers, that's when the nausea hits her. "Oh God." As she bolts to the bathroom, she swears that she can hear him chuckling at her.

* * *

Kate comes down the stairs, pouty look on her face. "Ahh, here's my lovely wife." Thomas says from the doorway. He steps back inside the house as she steps towards him. "How are you feeling?"

"I hate you." she moans.

"I know, I'm sorry." Thomas kisses her cheek. "we should be back in a few hours and maybe by then, you'll be feeling better."

"I'll be right here waiting for you two." she waves as she leans against the door, breathing in the crisp, cool air. "Stay safe you two!"

Both men waved at her before hopping into their car.

"Close the door." Polly says from behind her. "It's freezing out there." Polly suddenly starts to stare at her. Kate keeps a straight face as she watches the men depart, but Polly has a penetrating stare. "You forgot to powder the back of your neck, where he clearly made sure that everyone in this house knows that he finally got you into bed with him."

Kate gasped and slapped a hand on her neck. "He didn't!"

"He did." Polly's tone made her smile wobble. "He was whistling for a few seconds as he came trotting down the stairs. Haven't heard him do that in years. It was nice to see. Come, let's go have breakfast."

Kate's stomach moans in protest. "Maybe just some tea."

Polly frowns. "Your stomach still upset?" she nods as Polly sighs. "I'd still say you were pregnant but, considering you just started indulging in matrimonial activities last night, it's unlikely. Human nature hasn't advanced _that far _ahead."

Kate simply smiles at Polly. She was going to be so surprised when she and Thomas announced to the family that she was pregnant tomorrow night.

* * *

A slamming door caused Kate to jump from her typewriter. She'd been so engrossed in her writing that she hadn't even heard the cars pull up. there was some shouting, so, she stepped into her slippers and went downstairs just as the library door slammed.

Polly, Arthur and Noni were in a heated conversation. They both paused to look at her. Kate frowned. "What happened?"

Noni opened her mouth, but Arthur stopped her. "Orders from Thomas, we don't discuss peaky blinder business with Kate."

"I'll go talk to him and find out what happened."

"He said no one was to disturb him." a glass shattered in the library, prompting her to head to the door. "Fine, don't be surprised if he throws you out."

Polly laughs as Kate enters the library. "Be sure to lock the door behind you."

Kate ignores Polly innuendo and pushed the door open to see Thomas sitting at his desk. He's pouring himself another glass of whiskey and Kate spots the shattered glass by the fireplace. "Leave, I didn't want to be disturbed."

"So Arthur told me, " Kate latches the door behind her and steps towards him as he downs another drink of his whiskey. "but I'm not going anywhere."

He slams his tumbler down on his desk. "I said to leave!"

"And I said no!" she snaps back at him. "Thomas, I don't know what went wrong, but you need to calm down." He glowers at her as she perches on the edge of his desk. "I'm not leaving you because I know how you get into your moods and frankly, I don't think a man like you should be left alone with such dark thoughts." She pats his arm. "I'll just be reading over there on the couch."

As she moves to get off the desk, he grips her by the wrist and pulls her towards him, yanking her off the desk. "I've got you." He assured her as he caught her and pulled her into his lap. "Just come here."

She drapes her arm around his neck with an exhale. "Want to talk about what happened?"

"I did promise you to keep you out of the business, so, I won't go into details. Your brother…alerted a group that we were coming." Kate gasps in shock. "Several men got wounded, but…we took over the place. He's your brother Kate, and I'm going to respect the family ties, but he's interfering in our business."

"Go ahead and just shoot him."

"No. I draw the line at family." Kate glowers darkly and reaches behind her for the phone. He frowns. "What are you doing?"

Kate doesn't answer him and Thomas frowns at her as she dials a number. "It's me. Put him on the line, now" He sits up straight, shifting her on his lap. "Father."

He leans forward, so he can hear somewhat. _Kate? Why are you calling me?_

"Well, two reasons." She shifts in his lap, causing him to inhale sharply. "The first, being the most important to me. I need you to talk to Anton about his behavior."

_I've been trying to Kate. I'm sorry about what happened today and believe me, once I find him, I will take care of it._

"You better!" Kate snaps. "Anton is dishonoring his promise to mother!"

_Kate, he's upset. Listen, he feels bad that you had to marry Thomas Shelby. And he's been trying to rectify the situation ever since._

"Are you saying that he wants my husband dead?!" she bites out.

_Let's say he wants the marriage over and he's trying to persuade your husband to consider it. He's not going to kill him, but he wants to make things difficult enough so he'll give you up._

"Well, you better set him straight!" Kate snaps. "Tell him that I want to talk to him."

_Kate, I will but for the time being, but I need you and your husband will have to be patient. _He sighs. _You see, there's someone in your peaky blinder's group who wants your husband dead as well._

Kate looks to him, her face growing still. "Who?"

_I don't know who, that's what I've been trying to find out. all I know is he's working with Anton. How else do you think he knew details about today?_

"Please, find out soon." She inhales as she confesses. "I'm pregnant."

Her father inhales sharply. _What?_

She smiles. "I'm going to have a baby." her father lets out a happy exhale. "And if it helps," she looks directly at him. "I'd have married Thomas Shelby anyway, regardless of the circumstances."

_I don't like him, , if he makes you happy, then I'm glad._

"He's a good man. quite calm and gentle, until his family is threatened. I've told him if he ever needs to deal with Anton to protect himself, I won't care."

_He's my son Kate._

"And I'm your daughter, who will be having your grandchild. Anton, will most likely never marry."

_I will most likely never have a relationship with you._ Kate inhales at the sadness in his voice. _While, I don't want to lose either of my children, forgive me for holding onto the one I do have a relationship with._

"And I'm sure if anyone was threatening mother, you wouldn't have hesitated to kill them, regardless of their relation to you. it's same for me and Thomas, I don't want to raise our child alone." Kate bites her lip. "I'm willing to try, but I'm going to have to insist that you leave your guns and business at home."

_Yet, you're married to a man like Thomas Shelby. There's no way he wouldn't keep you in the dark._

"He would. He respects my desire to stay out of it. all he told me was that Anton interfered in whatever went down today."

Her father sighs. _I'll call you with what I know in a few days. Try to keep him home._

"Oh believe me," Kate states as she shifts her position in his lap, causing her to grinds her hip against his. "that is something that I can do."

Thomas loses all patience and starts undo the buttons holding her robe. Her father chuckles. _He treats you well then?_

"Yes. I got pregnant didn't I?" Thomas lifts her up onto the desk and parts the robe, exposing her nude body to the cold of the library. "I've got to go, I'll talk to you later. Goodbye." He may have said goodbye, Kate wouldn't know for she hung up very quickly as she reached for Thomas.

"Well, Mrs. Shelby, I shall have to teach you a lesson for disturbing me while working."

"You were brooding," she states. "but now, might I suggest you put that frustration into good use?"

* * *

**Idcam: Kate Bush helped out quite a bit. 'Song of Solomon' is one of the most sensual songs she ever wrote. As for love, they're going to need it because there's a few more things coming. **


	50. 50: L'Amour looks something like you

chapter fifty: L'Amour looks something like you

* * *

Kate sighs and rests her head against Thomas's shoulder. She inhales deeply and closes her eyes. "You alright, Kate?" he asks, as he runs a hand down her shoulder.

She holds his hand tightly. "Yes, I am Thomas."

He frowns at her. "Are you upset with me?"

She frowned. "No. why?"

"You're back to calling me Thomas again."

"Oh, I'm sorry." She rolls closer to him, aligning her hips with his. "I should get into the habit of calling you Tommy. However, I just feel that Tommy is the name for a boy. You," she allows her gaze to rove appreciatively over his handsome features. "are 100% all man." she leaned forward and kissed him lightly on the lips. he caught her lower lip with his teeth causing her to groan and break the kiss. "Take it as a compliment."

"Alright, I will." He shifts onto his back, to look up at the ceiling from their position on the floor. Thomas had made love to her again and now, they were just lying on the floor near the fire, enjoying each other's company. "Are you warm enough?"

"Yes." She exhales. "I'm sorry; I'm just a little distracted. Who do you think-

"Don't think about it Kate. It'll be alright."

"It seems like, ever since I met you, I've done nothing but bring trouble and strife into your life."

"Yes," Kate glances up at him. he is smiling faintly at her though. "but you also brought something else into my life. something I've needed for years."

"What's that?"

He props himself on his elbow and runs his hand down her exposed hip, which is peeking out from underneath her white, hip-length slip. "Love." Kate places a hand on his hand as he continues to caress her leg. "And light…the last few years without you…seemed so dark. And now…it's like I have something to live for again." Kate blinks against the tears building up in her eyes as he brings her hand up to his mouth, pressing a kiss to her ring finger. Suddenly, he sits upright, taking her ring off her finger. She frowns as he reaches for both of her hands, holding them tightly together. "Katherine, will you marry me?"

Kate stares up at him in shock. "What?"

"I love you and I want to claim you as my wife in a ceremony that doesn't leave you in tears. I want to see you, walking down the aisle in white," tears begin leaking down her cheeks. "with a veil flowing behind you. I want you to remember that I willing chose you, not because you were forced to marry me."

"Believe me," she sits up, cupping his neck with her hand. "there is no other man for me and no one had to force me to take you." she covers his hand with her other one as she nods. "Yes." He smiles broadly, as she laughs lightly. "I will marry you Thomas." He slides the ring back on her hand, before cupping her face in his hands and kissing her again. she moans as he dips her back onto the carpet. He rolled on top of her, nudging between her legs. She groaned as he arched against her, prompting her to pat him on the shoulders. "Easy there Tommy. Remember, I'm already pregnant."

He chuckles. "This will be my third time exchanging vows, with my future wife because she had my child."

"Well," she runs a finger from his ear to his shoulder. "you got me pregnant on our wedding night. So, technically, I don't fall under that category."

"Possibly." He studies her. "I'm not wearing you out am I?" she shakes her head. "It's been a while since I've been with someone that I care about."

"I've not been with any man before. I'm curious; it's…all so much at times. The feelings." He kisses her neck, nipping her with his teeth. Kate moans. "God. You clearly know what you're doing. You seem to know each and every inch of me, knowing which little touch will make me yours."

"I never got around to taking you on your honeymoon." He continues nibbling on her neck. "I better take you soon."

"Thomas," Kate closes her eyes, running her fingers through his hair. "I've done enough traveling in my lifetime. I don't want to go anywhere."

"Well, I should take you somewhere for a few weeks, even if it's a hotel in London." He bites her neck a little bit more firmly, causing her to inhale sharply. "Get to really know you better."

"How about the cottage?"

He laughs. "Kate, that's not a proper honeymoon location."

"I know, but, it's private. You and I wouldn't be far from everyone and you're easy to get in touch with should anything come up."

He nods. "Fair point."

"Besides, with the newest Shelby member, I don't really want to go traveling. I want to stay close to home." he moves his attention from her neck to her earlobe, causing her to giggle slightly as she traces a finger across his chin. "You've domesticated me; my days of darting around the world are all over."

"Trust me Kate; you were ready to become a mother. You just happened to…settle down with me."

She hesitates before asking. "Are you happy about the baby, Thomas?"

His lips still on her face and he breaks the kiss. Kate inhales deeply, worried about what's going to come out of his mouth. "To be honest Kate…I don't know, if I'm ready to be a father again. I'll admit, that this time…I feel better than I did the last two times."

"I know, both times you weren't expecting it."

"Well, I weren't expecting it this time either." She giggled at his accent. "But, are you happy about the baby Kate?"

"Yes, I am."

"That's good. because that's what really matters to me." he glances down at her. "Do you want to announce it at dinner tonight?"

Kate nods. "Yes I do. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to tell my father first."

"It's alright. Your pregnancy was rather conveniently timed."

"I'd rather he never knew." She says quietly. "Him and Anton."

"Babies, shall we say, have a way of controlling people. Your father will be more inclined to be on our side over your brother now."

"that's true. Thomas," she bit her lip before asking. "does my missing breast…bother you?" he glowers sharply at her. "I mean, my doctor said it could be…a turn off and-

"Do I fu," Kate covered his mouth, cutting off the expletive. He shrugged her hand aside. "ck you like I'm turned off?"

His dark tone caused her to flush red. "No."

"Then I'm not." He stated, his tone suggesting that should be the end of the conversation.

"I was just wondering because," he sighs heavily. "you've never said anything and…I am deformed."

"Shut up Kate." He grabs her slip and pulls it up over her head. she flushes under his gaze as he places his thumb on the line where her breast had been. "This scar shows me, that you're a strong woman. Very few men could meet a woman as strong as you in their lifetime. Ironic that you lost the breast covering your heart, but you never lost the warmth and gentleness that attracted you to me in the first place. You're not deformed to me…you're perfect for me Kate." She blushes as he rolls on top of her and began gently kissing her scar. She inhaled sharply and closed her eyes, arching her back under his lips. "Your body was made for me…the perfect fit, like a glove. Hey," she opened her eyes to find him gazing adoringly down at her. "I love everything about you. you are my wife. My property. You're mine Kate."

"I should almost be insulted that you call me property. But the thing about property," she grabbed his shoulders and shoved him onto his back, so she straddled him. "is it's a two way street." He grinned broadly up at her. "You're mine as well. I own the great Thomas Shelby. And you," she leaned forward slowly to kiss him. "will do my bidding."

"As my wife commands."

* * *

**Idcam: I had a few rough days, but, it'll be worth the delay!**


	51. 51: Room for the life

Chapter: Room for the life

* * *

_That evening,_

* * *

Kate let out a sigh as she moved from her upright position to curl up on the couch; her head went to rest in Thomas's lap. Thomas continued to calmly read his newspaper, while smoking his cigarette. Kate hated the smell, but between the drugs and cigarettes, she would rather he give up the drugs. He had started to cut back a bit for her sake.

She closes her eyes and lets out an exhale. "Tired Kate?"

"Yes." Kate rubs his knee. "But I don't want to move." He chuckles as he runs a hand through her hair. "I could stay here forever."

"You two are making quite the scene." Nina says from her spot where she's playing poker with Elton, Polly and Arthur. "You look like a cat Kate."

Kate lets out a meow, causing everyone to laugh. "By the way," Polly adds on. "I had a very difficult time keeping ruby and Charlie away from the library. Maybe try to make it upstairs in the future?"

"Oh God." Kate covers her face.

Thomas, however, is amused. "Thanks for the suggestion Polly. I'll consider it."

Elton decides to add his opinion. "I eventually wound up escorting them upstairs to organize the nursery. They weren't happy with me."

Kate laughs in embarrassment. "I do apologize Elton."

"Don't worry; it was rather fun to play with them." He smiles at her. "Made me feel young again."

"I said," Noni lights a cigarette. "that we should just tell them that you two were making them another brother or sister." Kate's heart jumps in her stomach at those words. Thomas slips his hand down to give hers a quick squeeze. "No one wanted to go for that idea."

"Obviously, they're too young to know about sex." Kate glances up at Thomas. "Cute idea though."

"So," Noni asks. "are you two going to try for a baby? And don't you kick me Arthur Shelby!" Noni says with a glower. "I've known Kate for a long time and couldn't you just see her pregnant?" Polly lets out an agreeing murmur. "She'd make a wonderful mother and I think pregnancy would suit her."

"Now Thomas." Kate mutters. "Before I fall asleep."

She feels Thomas nod his head as he continues to calmly read his newspaper. "Kate, you don't have anything planned for next Sunday?"

"No. why?"

"That's good. I want you to plan something."

"Ok." She smiles faintly. "What do you have in mind?"

"Why don't we get married again?" She chuckles as she hears the cards fall from everyone's hands.

She shifts so she's looking up at him. He smirks down at her, causing her to reach for his neck to pull herself upright into his lap. "Sounds like a delightful idea." She kisses him on the mouth quickly. "Yes, I'll marry you." she turns to the shocked group at the table. "You all don't have any plans for January 14th, do you?"

"Pardon me Sir," Elton stands up and heads to the door. "I shall alert cook that we will be needing a wedding cake for that date."

"Thank you!" Kate says cheerfully as he hurries out of the room.

"I shall also make a wine list for you to view tomorrow."

"Now, hold on a minute!" Noni declares. "What brought this about? Not that I'm complaining but you can't get married in a week! There's not enough time for all the preparations."

"I don't want a big wedding, something simple. I never got to wear a white dress and the ceremony wasn't the most memorable." Polly, Arthur and Elton nodded in agreement. "So, I'd like to do it again and have a ton of memories."

"As happy as I am for the two of you." Polly points out. "You could always remarry next year on your anniversary."

Arthur nodded. "Yeah. Otherwise Tommy will have to remember both dates."

She looked at Tommy, his blue eyes were dancing for a change and she nodded at him. "Well, Kate's pregnant," Arthur choked on his whiskey and Noni dropped her cigarette into Polly's lap sending everyone into a state of panic. "and I'm certain she'd feel more like a bride before giving birth."

She nodded in agreement. "Yes, I would."

"Hold on." Arthur hacks out.

"Now, the wedding dress is one me." she started to protest at Thomas's statement. "Nope, Polly I want you take her shopping and see that she gets whatever her heart desires."

"Hold on now!" Polly half-shouts as she wipes off her skirt. "You're pregnant?"

Kate can't help but smile as she states. "Yes."

"How the hell did that happen?" Polly demands. "You two have made it quite clear to everyone that you two haven't been sleeping together until two days ago! Is that true?"

"Yes, but-

"So, how can you be certain that you're pregnant?" Polly asks. "You can't know after two days!"

"This is more amusing than I thought it would be." Thomas turns a page in his newspaper. "Your story to tell Kate."

"Fine, you coward." Kate exhales deeply. "Do you remember after the ceremony, Thomas and I disappeared for a bit?"

Polly nods. "Yes, but you two were only gone for fifteen minutes and," Polly's face freezes for a second before scowling at Thomas. "you didn't."

He shrugs. "Marriage had to be legal."

"You didn't do that to her," Arthur demands. "did you Tom?"

"You're a bastard, Thomas Shelby!" Noni shouts, causing everyone to jump in surprise. "Kate was a virgin and that wasn't nearly enough-

"It was enough for me!" Kate says loudly, causing everyone to look her. "Thomas didn't hurt me."

"Well," Polly slaps her forehead. "it now all makes sense! No wonder Kate didn't let you touch her!"

Thomas peers at her from behind his paper. "It wasn't my choice Polly."

"Oh, don't go giving me such a stupid excuse!" she snaps, irritated at him. "There are always other options."

"And believe me, Kate and I discussed them." He snorts as he reaches for his cigarette. "My clearly demented wife picked that option."

"Well, I wasn't going to have you cutting your arm to fake the blood. Besides, it was the most practical option." She kisses his cheek. "And I was right to trust you, you didn't hurt me and you put our child into me."

"This is all a bit much for me." Noni declares as she snatches Arthur's whiskey from his hand and downs it. "God, are things always this exciting around here?"

"Normally, no." he replies as he takes back his empty glass.

"So, I was right all along. You really were pregnant." Polly heads towards her. "You still don't look it though."

Tommy nodded. "I know, but, she's really petite. I can assure you, she's starting to show."

Polly steps towards Kate, placing a hand on her stomach as she studied her with a sharp eye. Kate smiled under Polly's gaze. "She is." Polly smiles. "This is nice, isn't it?" Thomas nods as he grips Kate's hand. "Congratulations."

"Thank you."

"Well, you'll need help with the invitations." Polly states.

"It'll be strictly the Shelby family." Kate shakes her head. "I've no one to invite on my side of the family, well, maybe Daniel."

"Are you going to invite your father?" Polly inquires.

"No." she states instantly.

Tommy looks down at her. "Are you sure about that?"

"Positive."

"Kate," he said gently. "I know you want to try to have a better relationship with your father, the wedding may be a chance."

Kate shakes her head. "I'm not taking such a chance."

"Hey," he placed his hand on her shoulder and turned her towards him. "you're mine Kate. I'm not gonna lose you and nothing's gonna happen."

"I don't want anything to happen to you."

He rolls his eyes. "What could possibly happen to me by having your father at our wedding?"

She snorts. "You don't know my father."

"I'll call him up and tell him that he's welcome, but no one else." Kate hesitates for just a moment. "I know you still love your father, so, if you want him here, I will do everything in my power to make sure your day is just perfect."

Kate bites her lip and looks up at him before nodding. "Go ahead and call him." He nods. "And inform him if he upsets me that he is out on his ear."

* * *

**Idcam: They are fun to write, I'll admit. Well, it's Valentine's Day, which is always a little depressing when you're single. But I heard back from my friend 3 days ago, or should I say ex-friend. (Her husband is having papers drawn up to annul the marriage.) Guess who's fault it is? Yes, it's mine. I got a long email from her, which I can't respond to because she blocked me. Oh well, I'll be fine in a days and thankfully, I've got a story to work on. This story will be ending at chapter 64 though.**


	52. 52: Army dreamers

Chapter fifty-two: Army dreamers

* * *

_Late, that night,_

* * *

Kate stirs when Thomas started thrashing in his sleep. Kate sighs and reaches for his hand. He's been doing so well; this is the first night that he's actually woken her up completely. Suddenly, Kate is kicked hard enough in her backside to be sent flying out of the bed! Kate shrieks on the way down to the floor and lays there stunned, clutching her throbbing butt cheek.

She heard Thomas gasp and sit up in the bed. "Kate?"

"Down here." She croaks out, bringing up her hand to wave at him.

Thomas swore violently and jumped out of the bed. He knelt by her. "Don't move. What did I do?"

"I'm alright, you just kicked me." he swore as he began to check her. "It doesn't hurt too bad Thomas," she sits up, rubbing her behind. "it just smarts."

"Stop moving." His voice shook a bit. "I could have broken your back. God! The baby!"

"Thomas," she reached up and caressed his face. "if my neck was broken, I couldn't do this." She pulled him towards her and kissed him lightly on the lips. "Now, help me back to bed." he reached down and carefully picked her up from the ground. "Nightmare?"

He nods. "Yes." After tucking her in the bed, he kisses her brow. "I'll sleep on the couch tonight."

"No you're not." she sits up and pats his side of the bed. "Come on, back into bed with me."

He shakes his head. "I don't want to hurt you again. I'll just move to the couch."

"Well, I want you back here, or else I'm going out and joining you on the couch."

"Kate-

"Come on." she coaxes. "We'll put a pillow between us, but I don't think you'll do anything more tonight. I'll be fine." he hesitated for a moment. "I don't want you on your own; I insist that you join me."

"What about our baby?"

"I'm alright Thomas. I'm sure you didn't hurt either of us. Come on." he hesitates for a long moment. Kate holds her hand out for him, asking him to join her. He blinks before crawling back into the bed with her. She smiled and draped an arm around his shoulder and waist. "Do you want to talk about your dream?"

"No."

"Are you sure?" she places her hand on his chest, running a finger across his tattoo. "You've never hit me before."

"I'm alright Kate." He exhales deeply as he pulls her closer to him. "It's my cross to bear."

"Simon of Cyrene helped Jesus carry the cross up the hill of Golgotha." He shot her a look. "I'm not getting religious on you Thomas. You said it was your cross to bear, but even Jesus didn't bear his cross alone." He exhales as she presses a kiss to his tattoo. "Just remember, I'm your wife and I'm here for you when you need me."

He kisses her forehead. "I want you Kate."

Kate tilts her face up to his and kisses him without saying another word. This bout of lovemaking was different. Kate could feel the desperation and some fear in his actions as he attempted to drive away the demons that were in the back of his mind. Some of his actions hurt her, but Kate held onto him anyway and gave him all of her until they came together. She knew he needed to get whatever was troubling him out of his system and if she could help with that release, then so be it. Thomas didn't get off her right away. He held onto her, breathing heavily into her shoulder. Kate caressed his head with her nails, her breathing calm and controlled. His was ragged and heavy.

"What did you hear in your dream?" she whispered as she kissed his ear. Thomas let out a groan and went to pull out of her, but she held him tightly. "I'm not asking what you saw, just…heard." she assured him gently, running her hand up and down his back. "Tell me whenever you feel like it. No pressure, I'm not insisting you answer right away."

Thomas exhales deeply and mumbles into her shoulder. "Shovels."

She nods. "You were a tunneler."

"Sometimes it lasts all night." Thomas is silent for a long time, then, the words start trickling slowly out of him. "And I lie here…and I listen to the shovels and the picks…against that wall there." the fire snaps, causing Kate to frown. "And I pray, that the sun will come up through the curtains before they break through. No, I don't pray. I hope. Sometimes it happens…the sun beats them. But mostly…the shovels beat the sun."

He exhales and holds her tighter against him. Kate brings her arms up around his shoulders, holding onto his head with her hands. "Tunnelers had nightmares often in the hospital." She said softly. "They'd wake up screaming in the night. I could only get one man to talk with me." She toyed with a strand of his hair. "He said…the worst for him was never knowing who was coming through the other side, friend or foe." His fingers tightened into her waist, causing her to say quietly. "It's alright."

"I'm sorry." He loosened his grip on her. "What happened to him?"

"I don't know what happened, as he got sent back."

He's silent for a long time. "Do the nightmares…ever f**king stop?"

"They will Thomas." he carefully exits her and kisses her on the mouth. "I can promise you that."

As he falls back onto his back, she sits up and swings her feet out of the bed. He frowns. "What are you doing?"

"I'll be back." She heads over to the fireplace and grabs the poker. She can feel his eyes studying her carefully as she knocks the wood and embers around, flattening it. She then grabs the sand bucket and throws it over the logs, causing most of the fire to go out. She sets down the bucket and hurries back into the bed. "There we go. The fire should be out soon."

"Why'd you do that?"

"The fire crackles." She snuggles against him. "I'm certain you'll sleep better without the sounds going on around you."

"You'll be cold." He points out.

She shakes her head. "You'll keep me warm. And, first thing tomorrow, I'll have Elton have a few footmen turn our bed around to face the window, like I had when you were sick. It helped a bit."

He shakes his head. "We'll try all that after the baby arrives. You need to be comfortable."

"No Thomas." she says softly. "I need _you _to be comfortable. That way, I can be comfortable. I don't care how many changes I have to make. No matter how difficult things are, no matter what happens with your nightmares. I promise you, I'm not going to leave you alone, ever."

"I don't want to hurt you Kate."

"We'll try these changes for two months and see what happens. If necessary, I'll put a pillow between the two of us. But," she says firmly. "I will not have you in a separate room nor will I have you out of our bed."

He kisses her neck. "I guess you're stuck with me."

She smiles. "Yes. And I love you."

He kisses her on the mouth. "I love you too."

Kate pulls him against her and begins to sing quietly. _Moanin' low, my sweet man, I love him so. _Kate chooses to hum instead of singing 'though he's mean as can be' lyrics. _He's the kind of man, needs the kind of a woman like me. _Thomas smiles faintly at those lyrics and she runs her finger over the star tattoo on his arm. _Gonna die if sweet man should pass me by. If I die, where'll he be? He's the kind of a man, needs the kind of a woman like me. _Kate smiles noting how his breathing has gotten heavier and she knows he's asleep. She kisses his ear before singing softly. _You're the kind of a man, who needs a kind of woman like me._

* * *

**Angeo029: She's got her problems, I'll say that much for her. My mother's the best. I get home and she's got a Stella Rosa Moscato in the refrigerator waiting for me! Happy Valentine's Day to you as well.**


	53. 53: Watching you without me

Chapter fifty-three: Watching you without me

* * *

_Five days later,_

* * *

Kate let out a groan and called. "Thomas!"

He comes around the corner, buttoning up his shirtsleeves. "Yes?"

"I can't," she turns in frustration. "button up the back of this skirt."

"Hmm." He heads towards her and begins to button the skirt. Kate inhales sharply, willing this skirt to fit. Soon, Thomas stops and then begins to undo the skirt. "I'm sorry Kate; if I keep going I'm going to tear this skirt." Kate groans and covers her eyes, not wanting to cry. "What about that red skirt you wore a few days ago?"

"It makes me look….pregnant."

"Good!" he spins her around towards her, a smile on his face. "I like showing the world that you're my wife, my property."

Kate's pout wobbles before turning into a smile. "Alright. I'll wear the red one."

He chuckles and heads back to the closet to finish getting dressed. Tomorrow, they were going to get married again. Kate had been perfectly calm and in control, until an hour ago because her father was arriving for dinner. Then, she had gone to pieces.

Kate huffs as she steps into the skirt and pulls it up around her waist. Thomas helps her with the few buttons. She sighs and places her hands on her hips. "I should object to how you refer to me as your property," he pulls her against him and nips at her earlobe. "but, I like the way you say it."

"Open your mouth." He orders and Kate obliges him. she lets out a groan as his tongue touches hers, resulting in a heated, wet kiss. Kate holds onto him as he dipped her backwards slightly, forcing her to hold onto him. After a minute of kissing her till, she was certain that she'd faint in his arms, Thomas broke the kiss. "There." he exhales, as he places a chaste kiss on her lips. "Now you look as if I've just finished making love to you."

"Have I ever mentioned," she inhales deeply. "that…I love it when this dark of you comes out, when you're making love to me?"

His brow arches. "No. But, I'll keep that in mind for tomorrow night."

Kate's eyes bulge. "Tomorrow night!"

"Kate, we're getting married tomorrow, so, tonight," he plants a kiss on her nose. "you will be sharing a room with Ada."

"Now, that's just ridiculous!" Kate declares. "We're already married and I'm pregnant!"

"I'm not changing my mind Kate." He grips her arm and guides her towards the doorway. "Let's go."

"Ugh, you're a horrible man at times!"

"And you, my dear wife, have become a right proper hoyden." her mouth drops open in shock at his words.

"Well, guess who made me into one?" Thomas laughs loudly at her and she joins in. "I don't know why I let you talk to me like that."

"Maybe because you know it's partly true."

She laughs and leans into his shoulder. "Maybe I do."

"Tom," Polly said serious at the foot of the stairs. "it looks like they've arrived."

He frowns. "What do you mean 'they'?"

"You'll see."

Kate holds onto his arm as they step out onto the porch. Her father is getting out of the car and her heart pounds in her chest as her brother comes around the side. Thomas moves quickly, pulling her behind him so her brother can't even look at her.

"I believe my orders were that he is never allowed on my property."

"He was just dropping me off." her father explained. "He'll be leaving soon."

Anton glowered at him. "I'm here to see that my father is safe."

"Anton," her father said sharply. "the terms were quite clear that you weren't to visit. I am safe, go home and tend to business."

"I want to see Kate." She could hear Anton stepping towards the porch.

"You don't get to see her." Thomas states darkly as he turns towards her and guides her back into the house, keeping her shielded from Anton's eyes. Polly steps out to guide her back inside the house. "Now get the Hell off my property."

"You can't treat me like this." Anton snaps. "I'm her brother."

"Then you shouldn't have murdered her fiancée." Her father said. "If you hadn't, Kate would have been married to Emmet, not Mr. Shelby here. Then, you'd have been allowed to see her. now, please go back and thank you for driving me here."

Thomas holds his hand towards him. "You're welcome in my house, Mr. Kovach."

"Eh, call me Gil, if you prefer it. after all, we must be like family." Kate turns towards her father as he enters the house. he reaches for her and she hugs him, allowing him to kiss her cheek. Her eyes briefly collide with Anton and he moves to approach her. Thomas, however, stops him before he can approach her.

He closes the door in his face and locks it. Anton slams a fist on the glass, causing her to jump. Thomas clears his throat. "Shall we move to the parlor?"

"Yes." Her father sighs as they head down the hall. "I do feel sorry for Anton being cut out of this, but, after what he did, I'm at least grateful you spared his life. I've made sure he's paid for what he did."

"Tell me," Kate inquires. "how was he punished?"

"I made him write a check for $20,000 for Emmett's family." Kate is shocked; her father _never _handed over that kind of money to anyone. "The $8,000 for the hit and $1,000 for each year he's been absent. He is to pay them $1,000 per year until their death."

Kate stares. "That's…very generous of you."

"I can't kill my son Kate, anymore than you could kill him. However, I can try to write the wrongs. His family, will live in comfort for the rest of their days. They've no need to work so hard anymore."

Kate smiles. "I appreciate that."

"Now, let me look at you." Kate steps back and smiles as her father admires her. "Ah, you look lovely, being pregnant suits you." he grins at her. "I'm betting it's a boy."

"No!" Ruby wails loudly from her seat in the parlor, causing all eyes to go to her. "I want a sister!"

Kate laughs. "It could be a sister Ruby, your grandfather's just making a guess."

"There are too many men around here!"

"Ah, plucky one isn't she?" her father chuckles as he moves to sit down, ironically picking Thomas's chair. "Ruby, is it?"

Ruby nods. "Yes Sir."

"And you," he looks to Charlie. "what's your name?"

"Charlie."

"Well, Charles, a pleasure to meet you."

"My name's Charlie," he says politely. "and you're sitting in daddy's chair."

"Well, if your father objects, he'll let me know." Kate laughs as Thomas moves her towards the couch and sits beside her. "However, your father seems to prefer to sit with your mother."

Ruby makes a face. "They're always kissing."

Kate rubs her neck as her father laughs. "That's good. means he loves her." Polly enters the room and her father, not so subtly checks Polly out. "And who is this?"

"Ah, my aunt Polly Gray." Thomas states. "Poll, this is Gilbert Kovach."

Polly bobs her head. "Nice to meet you."

"Let me assure you," her father says smoothly. "the honor is all mine."

"Don't even think about it dad." Kate says swiftly. Elton enters into the room with tea, cookies and some fruit. Kate sighs, until he presents her with a plate of strawberries, which excited her. "Where did you find strawberries?"

"Ah, Mr. Shelby put in a few inquiries; I think he managed to find the last few strawberries in England."

"Thank you." Kate plants a quick kiss on his lips before taking a bite. "As sweet as this is Tommy, you really shouldn't spend money like this on me."

"Well, next time don't get pregnant in January." She choked on the berry and he winks at her. "Fruit's difficult to come by."

"You'll get used to this." Polly assures her father. "They're always, 'flirting' with each other."

"That's flirting?" her father rolls his eyes. "I I flirted like that, I'd have gotten nowhere with my wife. there's an art to flirting and seduction, an art that's been forgotten to this day and age. The art of writing a love letter to a woman, has started falling away as well."

"Well, Thomas prefers to tell me in person about his feelings, not leaving notes for me to find."

"Besides, who's got the time for writing letters?"

"Why don't you tell your father how you two first meet?" Polly asked conversationally. "Neither of you said."

Kate glanced at him and he nodded at her. Now, the truth about their meeting was to finally be told. "Actually, Kate and I met for the first time, at least twice." All heads went towards him. "We may have met during the battle of Verdun, but obviously, neither of us can remember the details surrounding it because of the war."

Her father nodded. "Yes, Kate mentioned you were a decorated soldier."

"Well," Noni suddenly enters the room with Arthur. "that would certainly be romantic if that was the first place you met."

"Spooky, more likely." Thomas muttered. "I was wounded, but, it wasn't a bad wound. Maybe she was the nurse who tended me, I don't remember."

"The next time we met," Kate said clearly. "was almost 11 year ago. I was depressed and upset; Emmet had only been dead a month, so I ran away from home. It was raining that night."

Her father nodded. "I remember that day; I was up half the night worrying. And you came back wet and smelling like a horse."

"That would have been my horse." Thomas supplied with a smile.

Polly's eyes widened as she quickly derived a conclusion. "Kate was the mystery girl who fixed Aspen?"

Arthur blinks in surprise. "No kidding?"

"Yes." She hesitated before adding. "I should confess that, had I not bumped into him…I probably wouldn't be alive now." All heads went towards her. "Because that night…I was planning on killing myself."

Her father gasped sharply. "Katherine!"

"I had stolen a bottle of arsenic from you; I had it in my pocket." The confession made things seem easy. "The guards spotted me and I ran. I hide in the stable with the Aspen." Kate turned towards Thomas. "He came in to the stall and…the rest is history. You told me something that night, a little speech about how I should value my life. those words stuck with me and as you can see…here I am." she reached for his hand and squeezed it. "I may have saved your horse, but you saved my life that night."

Polly shook her head. "You two were so close…even back then. It's a shame you didn't stay Kate."

She smiled. "It wasn't the right time Polly. Tommy had Grace and I still had to reconcile with Emmet's death. When we did meet, the time was right for us."

"When we met again for the third and final time…Kate stopped me from killing myself." Everyone stared at him, even Kate. She didn't think he'd actually admit a thing to his family. "I told you back then Kate, that you'd never know who'd need your help in the future. I wasn't planning on you rescuing me that day."

"That is so romantic." Noni declares. "Call it whatever you want, but, you two are just perfect for each other."

"I agree." Polly said. "The two of you should have been together years ago."

Her father lets out a sound. "Hmm, indeed, it does seem like you two were thrust together when needed. A very interesting love story, I'll admit that. you should write it down Kate."

Kate shakes her head. "I've actually given up on writing for the time being. I'm finishing up my last novel, then, I become a full time mother."

* * *

Thomas shuts the door to the nursery and walks Kate towards Ada's room. the night had gone well, her father was enchanted with Polly. He enjoyed talking business with Arthur and Thomas, but most of all, he loved playing with Ruby and Charlie. He'd already promised to engage the Chipperfield Circus to come give a private performance on the front lawn for them.

"Right," he stops outside Ada's door. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Make love to me." she says as she wraps her arms around his neck.

"No." he pulled away from her. "Tomorrow, we're getting married."

"But we're already married." she says with a pout.

"I know." he studied her. "But…you deserve the traditional feeling of a wedding. This means, I'll see you at the altar tomorrow."

"Fine!" She groaned. "But…kiss me real good before you go."

"Oh," he gripped her wrists and slammed her into the wall, causing her to smile at him. "believe me; I think I can do that. and tomorrow night…I'll make such passionate love to you, that you'll cry."

With that, Tommy's mouth closed over hers and he kissed her hard. She moaned and bucked her body against his and he kept her hands over her head.

"Oi," She gasped for air at the sound of Arthur's voice. "get a room you two."

"Like we're doing!" Noni adds as she blatantly follows Arthur into his room.

Kate moaned in protest as Tommy released her. "Don't. it's our last kiss until tomorrow afternoon."

"Now, now, Kate." Tommy rubbed her shoulders. "He's right. I should move along now." She pouted, causing him to grin and rub her chin with his thumb. He planted a kiss on her nose. "I'll see you tomorrow."

She brushed a kiss on the corner of his mouth. "I'll see you tomorrow. Sleep well, Tommy."

He smiled at her as she walked away. "I luv you."

She continues walking. "I luv you too."

He laughed at her. "Your accent is bloody rubbish, Kate."

She nearly double over laughing as he exaggerated his accent for her. "I know, I know!" she turned in the doorway and blew a kiss at him. "Goodnight!"

"Goodnight Kate."

Kate stepped into the room and smiled. Ugh, she was alive with anticipation and she could barely wait to become his wife, again.

* * *

**Idcam: Yes, she is. I actually got to thinking, I've been having fun with Peaky Blinders that maybe, I'd write an alternate version of this story. I'd take it back to season 1. Instead of Kate leaving, Thomas offers her a job and we'd see how things go down from there. With Grace still being alive, things would be interesting.**


	54. 54: You're the one

Chapter fifty-four: You're the one

* * *

Kate inhaled and exhaled deeply as Polly and Ada fussed over her veil. Polly laughed. "You don't need to be nervous Kate, you already have the man."

"I know but," she shakes her head. "I can't believe this. Pre-wedding jitters."

"You haven't seen him today, have you?" Ada asks.

"No." she sighs. "If he ever goes away on weeklong business trips, I'm going to have to go with him. I hate being separated."

"Well, part of that is pregnancy hormones." Polly explains with a smile. "The other half is you two are just head over heels." Polly steps back and studies Kate's reflection. "Are you sure you don't want to put your hair up?"

"I'm positive. Thomas loves it down and…I've grown used to it being down."

"You look lovely." Ada sighs and steps back. "I'm very happy for you."

Kate smiles. "Your day will come soon Ada, I can feel it."

"Well, if you think of someone, let me know. Noni and Arthur, they're a cute couple. If only Linda will let him go, those two can find their happily ever after."

"Do you think she will?" Kate asks.

Polly snorts. "God knows. But no gloomy thoughts, today's your wedding day."

"Where is Noni?" Kate asks. "I'd have expected her to be here."

On cue, the door to her room flies open and Noni enters the room. Kate's eyes narrow, Noni looks a little pale, but it could be because of the silver dress that she's wearing. "I am so sorry. I had to run into town to get something. You look lovely."

"Thank you very much."

Noni exhales and smiles. "So, what's your something old, new, borrowed and blue?"

"Well, the dress is new, but the sash is from Ada's wedding dress. And Polly is lending me some diamond earrings of hers."

"And, the something blue?" Noni inquires.

Kate, Ada and Polly all laugh. "Oh," Kate reaches for her gardenia perfume and spritzes herself. "that is all for my husband to see."

"Come on, give us a hint."

* * *

"Why the hell are you two getting married all the way out in the stables?" Arthur mumbles as he pulls his coat around him.

"Because," Thomas explains. "this was where it all began. Kate's sentimental."

Arthur snorts. "Yeah right. She did a good job though of making the stables good."

Kate had instructed her decorating team to do a beautiful job. White chiffon material hung from the rafters, candles had been lit and branches of pine were placed all around the stables, giving the stalls a rich scent of pine.

"Still smells like horses." Her father adds with a nose wrinkle. "You couldn't have met somewhere else, like in a rose scented garden?"

Arthur and Thomas chuckle, however, a violinist playing 'Embraceable You' causes them to stop chuckling. "Here we go again." Arthur says with a grin. "Third time's the charm."

Thomas inhales as he turns to watch Ruby and Charlie walk up the makeshift aisle. Ruby was scattering primroses and crocuses and Charlie held tightly onto Kate's ring. Then, Polly went up the aisle in silver dress that caused Kate's father to flash her a smile. He personally wasn't sure what was going on there, but nothing would most likely come of it. After all, Polly would then become Kate's stepmother and her father would become his uncle. What would that make him and Kate? Cousins? Either way, Polly wouldn't give him the time of day…or would she? He shrugged; he didn't want to think about it.

Noni came walking up the aisle; her expression for once looked demure. However, as she moved to her spot to the right of him, she winked at Arthur, causing him to chuckle. Then, Kate came into view and Thomas was sure his heart would stop beating. She was always beautiful to him, but just when he thought she couldn't be any more beautiful, she proved him wrong.

Kate walked smoothly towards him in this beautiful white satin sheath dress. It was slightly loose around her waist he noted, to accommodate her growing stomach. The sparkling, webbed, beaded design went from her shoulders to her waist. She'd left her hair down just the way he loved to see it and she wore the opal necklace he'd given her for Christmas. She carried branches of holly with a few red roses from the hot house. Her green eyes were shining brightly as she walked towards him and even her skin seemed to be glowing.

She stopped in front of him and smiled at him. "Will I do, Mr. Shelby?"

"Mrs. Shelby…you're a vision." he leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek. "I'll do you as soon as I have a moment in private."

She blushed and playfully pushed at him. "Thomas!" He laughed and kissed her on the mouth. She touched her mouth, a bemused expression on her face. "You're supposed to kiss me after the ceremony."

"If this was our first marriage, I'd have kissed you before anyway." He reached for her hands and held them tightly. "You look so beautiful."

"Thank you." Kate pulls one hand free to adjust his tie, making it straight. "There you go."

"Wait a minute." All eyes went towards her father as he stood up. "I didn't get to give, my daughter away on her first marriage to Mr. Shelby. So, before these witnesses, I wish to give my consent and blessing." She held tightly onto Thomas's waist as he acknowledged her father. "I did not approve of this marriage, until…this moment. I have not seen her smile, or her face glow like that in years. Emmett, he got her close to being this happy, but…not like this. Never, I have seen her this happy or this much in love and it's what I always wished for her." Kate grips Thomas's waist tighter and Thomas presses a reassuring kiss to her brow. "I do not like you yet, Mr. Shelby, but I like," tears gathered in her father's eyes. "that you…have brought the sunshine, back into her heart. Keep her…this happy always, I beg of you.

"I give you my word, I will." He said solemnly. "I will do everything within my power to keep her this happy and this in love with me."

"Then God has answered my prayers. You're not…as good a man as I wanted for her…but you love her. She'll live long and happy, and hopefully give you plenty of children." Everyone laughed as her father sat back down. "This is all I had to say on this matter, now, please continue with the ceremony and let these two moved forward with their lives. You're the one for my daughter."

Kate smiles as Thomas turns her back towards Jeremiah. "Don't I know it."

* * *

**Shariebery: Well, you'll be glad to know I try to update at least once a day.**

** : I am so glad you've been enjoying it. I too prefer when Kate calls him Thomas over Tommy. She mostly calls him Tommy when she's teasing him or being flirtatious.**

**Idcam: Yes, her hormones are crazy. As to Polly and Kate's father, I don't think we can expect anything to happen aside from some flirting. Noni and Arthur, you'll get an update in the next chapter. Well, I've started typing up a few ideas to see if I can put together writing 'Among Angels'. I'll know in a few weeks if it'll be any good.**


	55. 55: And so is love

Chapter fifty-five: And so is love

* * *

Kate laughs as Thomas again, shoves her veil out of the way to press another kiss to her cheek. She laughs as she squeezes his hand. "My feet are killing me."

"Look this way, please." The photographer says. Thomas and Kate turned towards the photographer, with his Kodak box camera. "Right. I'll get a few more shots of the family now."

"Wait a moment." Kate says as she takes Thomas's hand and places her hand on his shoulder. He frowns slightly. "Hold my wrist." He does as she asks. "And then look at me." she smiles at him as she tilts her face upwards as she whispers. "The look you have only for me."

Thomas smiles faintly at her. "Kate." The camera goes off as he leans forward to kiss her again.

"Nice shot. Thank you."

Kate laughs as Thomas moves her away from the photographer. "I think that man hates his job." Thomas laughs as they head inside the house. As they head to the parlor, Kate stops by the stairs. "I'll be back in a moment. I just want to change into my slippers." She kisses him twice on the mouth. "I'll be back in a moment."

He nods. "Right Mrs. Shelby."

As Kate turns to head up the stairs, she gets a smack on her backside causing her to squeal. "Mr. Shelby!" Thomas, however, is heading down to the parlor, whistling innocently. She grips the banister and hurries up the stairs. Kate finds her slippers right in Ada's room, kicked off to the side where she'd left them this morning. She pulls her white shoes off and slides into the slippers. She moans in relief, she hated those shoes, but it was her wedding day. She couldn't be wearing slippers for the photos and ceremony.

Kate closes the door and moves towards the stairs. "Well, you can go to Hell!" Noni screeches from her room, causing Kate to pause outside the door. "Fine with me! Don't call me again!" With that, she slams the receiver down and lets out a curse. Kate taps on the door. "What?!"

Kate pushes the door open. "It's me Noni."

"Kate." Noni inhales and wipes her eyes rapidly. "I'm sorry; I didn't know it was you."

"It's alright, sit down."

Noni shakes her head. "No, it's your wedding day. Today should be a happy day."

"I always have a minute for you." Kate sits down beside Noni on the settee. "I know something's bothering you. I could see it when you came in the room this morning."

"Being married to a Shelby has made you more observant."

"Is this about Arthur?"

Noni nods her head 'yes' before finally breaking. "Oh, that man," Noni huffs. "he's too stupid to realize that I love him."

"No one said loving a Shelby is easy." Kate said. "It took a lot of work to get to where Thomas and I are now."

"Well, Thomas was at least free for you to have!"

"We were both somewhat free, there were still ghosts of the past that both of us needed to vanquish."

"And if Linda were a ghost this whole thing would be a lot less complicated. You didn't fall in love with a married man Kate, I did!" With a sigh, Noni looked towards her. "I love that man." she stated, leaving Kate no cause to doubt her. "I hate you for inviting me to your thanksgiving dinner because then I wouldn't be in such misery!" Kate started to apologize, but Noni cut her off. "But then, I never would have met Arthur Shelby and I do love him so, it's well worth the misery at the moment."

"Noni, I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault." she exhales. "It's that damn wife of his. She won't give him a divorce."

"Things will work out." Kate assures her. "I know it will."

"In the meantime, I'm losing everything because of her." Noni sighs. "I was fired last week. Female wrestling is scandalous enough without one of the fighters being involved with a married gangster. And then, I just got a phone call from my father ordering me to come home this instance. My mother has been having fits of 'vapors' since receiving the news from Linda. Father just threatened to disinherit me, if I don't stop seeing Arthur."

"Noni, I am so sorry."

"Kate," she picks her nails. "I told my dad to go ahead and do it. It's only money and I've got my own fortune put aside. It's the wrestling…I'd worked hard for that and…now I've lost it."

"Does Arthur know about all this?" Kate inquires. "What you've lost for him?"

"Why should he care? Me losing my inheritance doesn't concern him." she sighed. "I'd live in the streets if he asked me to. He does know about my career taking a nosedive and he's been so wonderful in keeping me cheerful." Noni looks up at her, eyes watering. "It's just…I don't know how he's going to respond when he finds out…I'm pregnant."

Kate gasps. "Noni? I thought that you couldn't-

"Apparently, the Shelby men have something inside them that makes them want to secure their territory with the woman they love. Apparently, it was my bastard ex-husband, who was the infertile one, not me." Noni wipes her eyes. "I just found out this morning. Well, here I am, about to have a baby borne out of wedlock."

"You've got us," Kate assures her. "the Shelby family sticks together."

Noni hugs her and Kate holds onto her tightly. After a few moments, Noni pulled away from her. "We should get you back downstairs. Thomas is probably wondering where you are."

Kate laughs as she stands up. "Indeed. Someday, you two will have what Thomas and I have. I'm sure of it."

Noni shrugs as they continue down the stairs in silence. Kate spots her father exiting the library, with Thomas's tumbler of whiskey. "Dad, can I talk to you for a second?"

He nods. "Of course, primrose." Kate's heart stops in her chest for a moment. He hasn't called her that since mother died. He steps towards her with a smile. "What is it?"

Kate glances at Noni, who's moved towards the parlor now. She steps towards him. "I need a favor."

He nods. "What is it?"

"There's a woman, Linda Shelby. I need you to get her to sign some divorce papers."

He frowns. "Why? Never mind, I'll see what I can do."

Kate hugs him. "Thank you."

He hugs her back. "Anything for you."

* * *

_That evening,_

* * *

Thomas lets out a groan as he sets Kate down inside the cottage. "I thought we'd never get away from there."

"Tell me about it." Kate states as he locks the door. She removes her white coat. "I never thought I'd want to scream at people that I wanted to be left alone with my husband."

"And now, Mrs. Shelby, you've got two weeks alone with me."

Kate chuckles as pulls her towards him and removes the veil. "Thank you."

"Head hurts?" he inquires as she shakes her head, tossing her hair free for a moment.

"A little bit." Kate reaches for his tie and smoothly unties it from around his neck as he removes his vest. He'd left his jacket on the back of his chair in the main house. The wedding had gone off well; it was strictly family and intimate, just as she wanted. There was food, music and dancing. Thomas had humored her by allowing the household staff to join in the music and dancing before quietly slipping her out of the front door to get to the cottage.

"Polly said to I should you about your something old, borrowed, new and blue." He unbuttons his shirt and studies her. "See each piece, one by one."

Kate laughs as she removes the earrings. "Well, these were borrowed. The sash," she turns around so Thomas can undo it. "is something old. My dress…is something new."

"And again," he begins to unbutton the few buttons on the back of her dress. "you looked beautiful."

"Thank you." Thomas presses a kiss to her lower back, causing her to giggle.

He removes the dress and frowns once he sees her slip is white. "What's the something blue then?"

"Well, it's under the slip. So, I hope you like my something blue."

"This is curious." He states as he grabs her slip and pulls it on over her head. Kate smiles broadly as his hands drop to his sides in surprise, staring at her. His jaw is slack as he takes in the sight of the blue heart with an arrow tattooed on her chest. "God, Kate-

"I hope you like it, because I'm stuck with it."

"You look…incredibly sexy." He traced the line of the heart with his fingers. The arrow covered the red line where her breast had been. "How'd you get it?"

"I asked Arthur for help." He arched a brow. "He stayed outside the parlor door. Imagine the scandal I caused walking in."

"Did the man see-

"No, I was covered decently. He only saw the area to work on." she laughed. "He was rather shocked when I said it was a surprise for my husband."

"So, this is why you haven't been letting me see you naked for a week."

Kate nods her head. "Are you surprised?"

"Believe me, I am." he picked her up around the waist and moved her towards the cottage bedroom. "And, I believe," he deposits her on the bed. "I have one just for you." he smiles down at her. "Forever, isn't long enough to love you as I need to."

"I'm starting to look huge."

"Well," he moves from her mouth to kiss her stomach. "I'm going to fill you some more tonight, so, come tomorrow, you'll be overflowing."

Kate blushes deep red as she lets out a moan. "God, you say the most scandalous things sometimes."

"Shh," he runs a finger down her nose. "close your eyes."

Kate does as he asks with a smile. He adjusts her position a few times before bringing her legs up over his shoulders. Kate frowns through her closed eyes as he runs his hands down her thighs before digging his fingers firmly into her hips, restricting her movement. "Thomas, what are you-

And that's when his tongue tasted her for the first time causing her to let out a shriek that made them both glad they were in the cottage and not in some London hotel!

* * *

**Shariebery: My pleasure. **

**Idcam: Well, was the tattoo the idea? Kate always was rather admiring of Thomas's tattoos. **


	56. 56: All the love

Chapter: All the love

* * *

_Two weeks later,_

* * *

"Kate?"

"In the kitchen, Thomas!" she calls. She can hear him letting out a few huffs as he gets out of bed. She smiles as she turns back to the stovetop to her frying potatoes and bacon. These last two weeks were delightful. They'd talked in depth to each other and of course, made lots of love to each other. He shuffles into the room and she turns towards him. He's barefoot and wearing only his trousers, which earns an approving smile from her. "You're up."

"Well, hard to sleep with you cooking up such a nice breakfast." He steps towards her and kisses her cheek. "How are you feeling this morning?"

"Much better."

He runs his hand over her stomach. "Any nausea?"

"None, which is why I wanted bacon this morning." He chuckles as he wraps a hand around her waist and pulls her close. She sighs as he rests his head on her shoulder. "I don't want to go home tomorrow."

"Me neither, let's stay another day." He suggests. "Today's Saturday, I'll call on up and say we'll be coming back up on Monday."

"Oh, God yes." Thomas grabs her around the waist and spins her around to face him. Kate giggles as she drapes her hands around his neck. "We're going to burn our food again, for the fourth time!"

He groans. "Fine." he reaches over and moves the food over. "Satisfied?"

"Yes." She kisses his nose as suddenly the door to the cottage splinters open with a crash! Kate screams and Thomas spins around, keeping her tucked behind him as two men burst into the room with guns! Kate steps behind him, keeping her body hidden from prying eyes as her brother enters the room with a gun in his hand!

"Anton?" she is stunned beyond belief. "What is this?"

Anton turns to her and stares, his eyes going wide in shock. His face grows red in furious anger as he snarls out. "Get the hell away from Kate, now!" Thomas steps aside warily watching her brother. He reaches back for her, to offer her his hand, which she takes. That little action causes him to grow furious with anger. "Get your hands off her or so help me, I'll blow your head off here and now!"

"Alright!" Thomas says in a far calmer tone than she can manage. "I've let her go."

"You," Anton orders to one of the men. "go get her stuff. And you," he turns to Thomas. "and I, are going to have a talk outside. Now!"

"He's not going anywhere!" Kate half-shrieks as Thomas takes a few steps towards her brother. She stays right behind him. "You owe me an explanation as to what you're doing here!"

"I've come to take you back home."

She stares at him before laughing. "I'm not going anywhere with you! have you lost your mind?"

"He can't hurt you anymore, Kate." Kate stares at him in shock. There is something dark, apparently nagging him. "I've got eyes in the house, I know that he's been hurting you, forcing himself on you every night since I left you."

Kate blinks and shakes her head. "He hasn't been hurting me!"

"You don't need to lie for him anymore."

"Who's your source?" Thomas demands.

"You," Anton pulls his gun and aims it as Thomas's head, causing Kate to scream. "are in no position to make demands!"

"Anton," she pleads desperately, her heart pounding in her throat. "please, don't do this to me again."

"Kate," Thomas holds his hand up. "stay calm, it's alright."

"Your feelings for him are not real." Her brother snapped. "You feel that way because you've been stuck here with him for months."

"That's not true. I love him." her brother shakes his head in denial.

"You don't love him, you think you do." He snaps. "He's brainwashed you."

"No, he hasn't!"

"What the hell is going on in here?" her suddenly father roars, causing everyone to jump. He's there, his gun drawn along with Polly.

"Anton wants me to go back home with you and him." Kate explains as she takes a few steps back from Thomas. there's a gun in the kitchen drawer, if she can get to it.

Her father stares at him. "Have you lost your mind, boy?" he then glowers at the men. "I didn't give any of you orders to do this!"

The men now look very confused. "We were told this was a kidnapping."

"Kidnapping?" Polly snorts. "Look at her hand, she's got a ring. They're on their honeymoon!"

The men shoot Anton dark looks as they lower their guns. Only one man has the guts to speak to her father. "We're not getting mixed up in this."

"A wise move. Go wait in the car."

"Don't you dare!" Anton shrieks. Kate uses this distraction to slowly pull open the kitchen drawer. The gun is right within her reach and she can only pray it's still loaded.

"I don't know what's going on with you Anton." Her father is furious. "I've told you again and again, that Kate is alright. she's happily married."

"Not for long." Anton suddenly grabs Thomas around the throat and presses the gun to his head.

"Anton!" Kate screams, her voice drawing every eye to her as she pulls the gun from the drawer and presses it to her chin. Everyone stops in place. Kate's own heart is threatening to beat out of her chest.

"Kate," Thomas asks his breathing rapid. "put the gun down."

"If you pull that trigger Anton," Kate warns. "I pull this one!"

"Anton." Her father warns. "Let him go now."

"Kate, put the gun down!" Thomas orders.

"I told you once before," she holds his gaze. "I won't go through the pain of losing you. if he kills you…then I'm going with you."

"Anton," her father demands. "let him go, now."

"Kate," Thomas begs. "point the gun away, please. Think of the baby."

"You're pregnant?" her brother moves the gun away from Thomas's head. he looks shocked. "You're going to have a baby?"

"Of course I am!" Kate turns sideways so he can see her protruding belly. "I don't know who told you that Thomas has been hurting me, but they're very much mistaken."

"Anton," her father bites out. "this is the last time I'm telling you to put the gun down."

"You're always telling me what to do." Anton suddenly shouts his face red. "You know how I feel about her and neither of you has a right to-

In that moment, Kate pulled the gun away from her chin and shot Anton in the chest! Anton dropped the gun as Thomas broke free from him and punched him in the jaw. The pop and spewing blood told Kate that Thomas had broken his jaw. As Anton reached for the gun, her father and Polly fired on Anton, causing him to drop to the ground in a heap.

Thomas takes the gun from her hand, pulling her into a bruising embrace. "Don't ever f**king do that again!" Kate nods as she clings to him. "Do you understand me?!"

"Yes."

Polly steps towards the phone. "I'll call an ambulance."

Kate sighs and pulls away from him. "There's a medical kit under the sink."

Thomas grips her arm. "No. not this time Kate."

She jerks her arm free. "He's my brother. Please, go get it." He hesitates before heading to the bathroom. She sighs as she looks over her brother's figure. He'd been shot in the chest, collarbone and stomach. His jaw is broken. She inhaled deeply as she knelt to examine him. "Dad, I'm going to need you to hold him down."

Her father nods as he kicks Anton's gun out of his reach. "I love you Kate." Her brother gasped out.

"No you don't," she snapped. "if you loved me, you'd let me be happy in my marriage."

When Anton grabbed her hand and kissed them, her blood ran cold. Surely, he hadn't meant… then, she thought about it for a second and chills for terror ran through her. there were always moments of him staring at her, he'd never approved of any boys hanging around her growing up. Now, dozens of thoughts that she'd brushed away over the years began to pelt her at once. She looked at her father, the sickly color of his skin testified that he hadn't seen or suspected such a thing either.

"Let go of me." Anton didn't. he held onto her hands tightly and Kate felt sick. "Let go of me!"

Thomas appeared out of nowhere to pull her hands free from Anton's bloody grip. "Kate, get away from him." Kate allowed him to hand her towards Polly. "Tell us what to do, but I don't want you to touch him."

"I'll tell you what to do." Polly states. "Just let him die. There's something unnatural with him."

"Polly," her father orders. "take Kate out of the room. now. Thomas, help me up."

"Here." Polly guides her towards the stairs. "Breathe Kate."

Kate inhales deeply as Polly leads her out to the front porch. Kate breaks for the railing of the porch to vomit onto the ground. she groans and holds her stomach as Polly braces her back. Kate groans as she straightens up to find Polly extending a handkerchief to her. "Thank you."

A gun going off, causing her to scream and run back into the cottage. She wasn't sure what to expect when she ran into the room, but it wasn't to see was Anton with a bullet in his head and her father holding the gun. Kate covered her mouth as Thomas took the gun from her father and set it on the table.

Her father inhaled as he turned towards her, his eyes brimming with unshed tears. "Let's go to the house, there is a lot we need to discuss."

* * *

**Idcam: I know! It was a rather unconventional surprise, but it seemed like her.**

* * *

**Author's note.**

**My sister gets credit for this turn of events, I wasn't planning this! She was watching Ben-Hur with me and commented that Anton reminded her of Messaulus. Unbeknownst to her, the actor portraying Messaulus was directed to play the character as a spurned, gay lover. I went back, read my work and everything just fit into place. It explained his obsessive behavior! I will try to update by tonight and not leave my readers hanging, but no promises. **


	57. 57: Epilogue

Chapter fifty-seven: Epilogue

* * *

Thomas's hand on her shoulder causes her to jump. "It's alright Kate." He assures her as he guides her into the house. "Let's convene in the library."

Kate can only nod. She cannot believe what's just happened. Thomas guides her towards his chair and guides her into the chair. Thomas had cancelled the ambulance and her father had ordered the men to take Anton's body back to his home. Kate was still in shock over how this whole thing had gone down today.

"Here, let's sit you down."

"How much more do I have to take?" Kate suddenly shouts, causing Thomas to still in place. Kate holds onto her belly as she sits down into the chair. "God, I'm so sorry. You didn't deserve that."

"It's alright Kate." He assures you. "You're upset and understandably so."

"You're handling this whole thing very well." Polly states as she shuts the library door behind her father. "You've had quite a shock."

"Let's all sit down." Her father sighs as he sits down. Kate refuses to sit down and Thomas stands beside her. Polly moves to sit by her father. "There's something you don't know Anton."

"What is it that I don't know?" she crosses her arms. "That he's apparently been having sick feelings for me for years? How did I not see this? It all makes sense!" Thomas grips her shoulder firmly. "The obsessive behavior, the hatred towards any man who dared to look at me! I thought about it but brushed it aside because he was my brother!"

"Kate," her father sighs. "he wasn't your brother."

Kate stares at him in shock. "What…the…hell?"

"His parents had been murdered and I couldn't leave him in the streets. So, I took him to Mexico with me."

"Why didn't you tell me this?" Kate demands. "Why keep this a secret?"

"Because you two were family." He inhales deeply. "I didn't want him to feel like he was anything less than family."

"Did you adopt him?"

"I've been trying to adopt him for years, it's been extremely difficult. Especially since he appears to have been born out of England and we still haven't found his birth certificate." He exhales. "He was a troubled boy Kate and I did try to help him. I always knew you'd be alright, but Anton, he needed help. Had I noticed that he had feelings for you, I'd have moved him out of the house. But my blindness caused you so much pain."

Kate shakes her head as a tear dribbles down her cheek. "I didn't see it either. It wasn't your fault." She inhales deeply. "I understand, now, why you always took him under your wing. I don't blame you for trying to work with him. it's just…God, all those years."

Her father cleared his throat. "I am sorry, Kate. Don't waste any tears on him. you have a good man who loves you, two children who need you and a family here. Nothing should disrupt your focus on that."

"I won't." Kate knows she's lying as she stands up from the chair. "I need a hot bath." She heads towards her father's seat to kiss his cheek. He smiles faintly. "I'll be back down for supper later."

"Alright." he pats her arm comfortingly. "Don't worry about it Kate, tomorrow, it will be as if nothing happened."

Kate nodded with a fake smile on her face. "Of course." However, as she turns to leave the room, the smile falls from her face and she knows it's going to be a while before she can adjust to this turn of events. Right now, she needed some privacy so she could cry alone and in peace.

* * *

_Hours later,_

* * *

The bathroom door clicked open, causing her to look up with a gasp. There stood Thomas. she sniffled and turned aside, vexed that found her crying. She wiped her eyes, frantic to find some control.

The water stirred in her tub, caused her to look up in surprise. Thomas, had gotten into the bathtub, fully clothed, aside from his shoes. he studied her face carefully as he reached for her and pulled her into his side. She exhaled and clung to him as he placed a kiss on her shoulder. "I've got you."

"I'm sorry."

Kate, you've always been there for me when I needed you. now, it's my turn to be there for you." Kate exhales deeply as he pulls her against him. "You'll be fine in time. Tonight, will just be the hardest."

"God, I can't put the whole thing out of my mind." She plays with his tie before removing it. "You really should have removed your clothes before climbing in here."

"You needed me now, not in a few minutes."

"How can I feel bad when you're around?" she asks. "I've got a lot to look forward to in the future. There's so much about to happen. I just need…a few days to mourn and then, hopefully forget." She shuddered. "I can't believe that he really tried to kill you in front of me."

"Kate, there's something I need to say." he says gently. "as you know, there were two other women in my life. They both loved me. I loved one well and I didn't love one enough, but…it was nothing like this." He said softly as he ran his hand down her arm. "Not like us, not like what we have. I can't see either of them threatening to end their own life to save me. I love you, so much, my wife."

"And I love you." Kate wraps her arms around his neck as he kisses her. again, those feelings of comfort and love cover her like a comforting blanket.

"Don't ever, threaten yourself like that again, promise me."

"I promise."

"Good." he kisses her again. "Let's get you out of this bath now. It's getting cold."

Kate shakes her head. "No. I want you to make love to me."

He shakes his head. "No. you're upset Kate."

"Yes. I am upset and disgusted with myself. But I want and need to feel something." She could see that he was resisting. "I need to feel you." she ran her hand down his arm. "I need you inside of me, Thomas."

"Well," he carefully begins to undo his wet shirt. "I have to get out of these first, love, then-

"You'll give me something to think about during dinner?" she asks with a smile, possibly the first smile that's been genuine since this afternoon. "Besides, who says we have to leave the bath right away anyway?"

"As my wife requests. Now, give me a hand with these and we should still be able to make it in time for the second course tonight."

They weren't.

* * *

**Shariebery: I couldn't get it done yesterday, but 14 hours is still better than 14 days!**

**Idcam: Well, she does have her moments of usefulness. **


	58. 58: This woman's work

Chapter fifty-eight: This woman's work

* * *

_6 months later,_

* * *

"Kate?" Kate stirs as Thomas kneels down beside her to press as kiss to her cheek. "What are you doing down here on the stairs?"

She yawned. "I was…waiting for you. I dropped my book, sat down to pick it up and I guess, I fell asleep." She looks sleepily up at him. "What time of night do you call this?"

He chuckles. "Late. Come on," he grips her hands firmly to help her up. "I'll get you up to bed."

"Thank you." Kate yawns as she stands up. "I wasn't meant to fall asleep here." A warm splashing on her toes causes her to stiffen up. "Thomas?"

"What?"

"My water broke."

Thomas looks down at her feet and swears violently. "I've got to get you upstairs."

"Alright." she inhales deeply as she grips his hand tightly. "Now, I've got to get," Thomas swept her off her feet. "Ahh! Thomas Michael Shelby put me down this instance before you break your back!"

"Polly!" Thomas shouts as he hurries up the stairs. "Arthur!"

"Thomas, people are sleeping!" she covers his mouth. "You'll wake them up. It's not an emergency."

"Kate, you're in labor!"

"It's my first!" she declares. "Do you know how long I'm going to be in labor?"

"You're shrieking."

"What the Hell is going on out here?" Arthur stumbles out of the room, bleary eyed in only his pants.

"Kate's in labor!"

"Kate's in labor?" Noni hurries out of the room, pulling on her robe. "Wonderful!"

"Can either of you get my husband to put me down?"

"Tommy." Polly comes out of her room. "What's going on?"

"My water broke Polly, make him put me down."

"Put her down Thomas, it'll do her good." Thomas does what she asks. "Now, everyone, go back to bed. Thomas, at 8:00, phone Doctor Blake to come here."

"That's almost 8 hours from now!"

"The labor is probably going to last for 12 hours!" Kate states. "Go lie down and try to get some rest. I'll be fine!"

* * *

Twelve hours later, Thomas wasn't so sure that all was going to be well. Kate was in extreme pain and he knew that because she was screaming obscenities at the top of her lungs. The children had gone outside to play, but their playing looked more like pacing. He hadn't slept at all, like Kate had suggested. The doctor had arrived and was in the room with Kate, as the hours went by; the tension in the house seemed to build.

Suddenly, Kate let out a scream. This scream, caused Tommy to drop his drink. Kate was screaming in absolute pain. The door burst open and Polly shouted. "Noni, come in here now!"

"What's going on?" he demanded.

"Arthur, keep him out." she ordered.

"That's my wife!" He shouts as he lunges for their bedroom door. Arthur catches him before he can enter the room. He can hear their baby crying but it's the blood streaming down the sheets that causes him to stop in his tracks. Kate's skin is so pale and her body is limp.

"Kate?" doctor Blake snaps. "I need you to keep your eyes open. Do you hear me?"

"Get him out!" Polly shouts. "Noni, see to the baby!"

"I can't leave her!" He shouts. "Kate!"

Arthur pulls him out of the room. "Come on."

"No!" Polly slams the door in his face and locks it. Thomas hits the door. "Let me in!"

"Tommy!" Arthur shouts. "Let them work! Kate will be fine!"

"I need to be in there with her." Thomas knelt by the door, vexed to find that tears threatening to spill from his eyes. He hadn't cried in years; he'd never thought he'd be crying again. "I can't lose her."

"She'll make it Tom." Arthur says firmly. "She's not going anywhere."

It was another thirty minutes before the door opened. Polly, Noni and Doctor Blake came out. Thomas jumped up. "Where's my wife?"

"Thomas," Polly placed a hand on his chest. "she's alive for now."

He frowns. "For now, what's that mean?"

"Mr. Shelby," the doctor says firmly. "I need you to stay calm and listen to me. Kate suffered from postpartum hemorrhage." Thomas frowns. "The placenta hadn't come out completely, so, I had to remove the placenta that was still inside the uterus. Once that was done, I was able to stabilize the bleeding."

"I called her father, he's on his way, as is Ada." Polly inhales deeply before stating. "You should prepare for the worst. She's lost a lot of blood."

His world spun around and he almost collapsed against the wall, were he not bracing it. "Then do a transfusion." Thomas said, panic building up inside him as the doctor shook his head. "I've seen it done on the battlefields."

"I can't!" doctor Blake stated. "If I take her out on the road, she will die. I've got blood coming towards us, but it'll take several hours to get it here from the hospital."

"But Kate may not live long enough to get the blood." he said firmly. "I won't sit back and watch her die from lack of blood."

"I don't have the equipment. There's nothing I can do for now!"

Thomas groaned and ran his hands through his hair. "God!" then suddenly, a bolt of lightning hit him. "Kate had a medical room with supplies added, in case of an emergency."

Polly's eyes widened. "Oh, that's right! Thank God!"

"Where?"

Thomas ran towards the medical room and threw it open. The doctor hurriedly looked through the drawers. "You married a smart woman. Here's the equipment, but I don't know the blood type."

"Medical records are in the drawer." Thomas pulls the kept from the chain in his pocket and hands it to the doctor. "She was a nurse during the war. She even insisted that all of us have our blood tested and documented."

The doctor exhaled as he pulled out the medical documents. "Right, give me a minute." Thomas holds his breath as the doctor reads them quickly. "Ada Shelby, Arthur Shelby and you Mr. Shelby are a match."

"Me first." Thomas states as he rolls ups his sleeve. "Will there be enough blood for her?"

"If not, your blood will have bought us enough time for her to hold on until the bloods arrived."

Thomas inhaled, preparing himself for the long hours that were going to be ahead. He hadn't felt this terror since Grace was shot. With Grace, there was nothing to be done. Kate, she was going to pull through, she had to. They'd gone through too much together.

As he sat on the edge of the bed, watching his blood flow into her, his mind reflected on so many moments they'd shared together.

Her screaming at him not to shoot aspen, staying in the horse stall all night before walking away from him, never to be seen again for ten long years.

Her screaming before visualizing out of the fog to stop him from killing himself that day. God, that woman screamed a lot. She screamed when she was scared, startled or trapped under him.

Her anger that night at the club, leaving him unsure about how to proceed with his feelings towards her.

Their first kiss, under that oak tree that had shaken him to the core and left her trembling with the realization that they were meant to be together.

The first time they'd made love, she was scared, but he did remember feeling the moment the fear vanished and she surrendered to him.

They'd come too far to lose each other now. If he did lose her…he knew he couldn't cope. He needed to cry, but he couldn't let it show now, he needed to be strong for her. There were too many things they should have said, done and given to each other that they hadn't yet. He prayed that she'd be there tomorrow for him so he could give her each of those precious moments again.

* * *

**Angel029: And you will. Apologies, Kate Bush has an actual song called 'Epilogue' which I felt was appropriate for the previous chapter.  
**

**Idcam: I could let them be happy, but, they have a few more mountains to climb.**

**Shariebery: Sorry, not done yet! **


	59. 59: Breathing

Chapter fifty-nine: Breathing

* * *

Kate stirred. She felt so weak and heavy. She blinked and looked around the room. The first things she noticed was a smell of blood the room, her arm hurt and Thomas was sitting upright beside her. His hand was firmly gripping her hand, as if afraid to let her go.

Kate smiled weakly at him as she croaked. "Thomas."

Her words caused the poor man to jolt in shock. "Oh God." He got off the bed and knelt beside her. "Kate. You're awake!"

"Yes, I am." She smiled at him as he runs his hand down her face. "What happened?"

"You lost a lot of blood." He stated as he kissed her hand. "I – I can't even remember, I was so upset."

"Shh, I'm alright now, I just feel weak." She looked down at her arm. "I had a transfusion?"

"Yes, you saved your own life by making that medical room." He exhaled as he kissed her knuckles. "A lot of Shelby blood runs through you now."

"I am truly blessed to have a husband like you." she smiled adoringly up at him. "God is so good to me."

The door creaked open, they turned to see Charlie peaking in. he froze as he saw his father there. Kate smiled. "Charlie. Come here. Your mother's awake." His eyes lit up and he hurried in the room. "Careful though. Is Ruby out there?" at that moment Ruby comes running in the room.

"Hello." Kate says as she reaches for them. "How are my two precious ones?"

"We're fine." Charlie states. "You almost died though."

"I'm sorry, to scare you two but…your father wasn't going to let me die." She gasped and looked up at Tommy. "The baby?"

"He's fine." He exhaled with a laugh. "You gave me another boy."

"Can I see him?"

"He's with Polly. She and Noni have been taking turns feeding him." He turned to children. "Can you two go get your aunt and ask her to bring your brother? And the doctor! Hell, wake up everyone!" they nodded and hurried out of the room.

"Thomas, answer me this before they come back. Can I," she hesitated before asking. "have…another baby?"

"I don't know luv," he exhaled deeply. "I didn't think of anything outside of what I'd say to you when I saw you again."

"Oh," Kate runs a finger up to his ear. "you're so sweet."

"And truth to be told to Kate…I'm not sure I want to put another one in you."

She giggled. "God, I love that accent of yours." She sobered though. "I would like to try again though."

He stroked her head. "In a few years, maybe." she pouted. "Please, I need more time. You almost died and I don't want to go through that again so soon."

"I understand. It must have been hard for you." She nods her head and exhales. "Alright, I'll give you two years before we try again. Alright?"

He's silent for a moment. "We'll see."

"I'll take that. You know, we never did decide on a name."

"I went with your choice. Richard."

"Richard Shelby." Kate smiles. "I like the sound of that one."

At that moment, ruby and Charlie hurry into the room with a parade of people behind them. Kate weakly waves at them. "Hello!"

"Oh thank God." Noni's voice cracks. "Damn, these hormones are making me cry."

"Thomas," Kate says. "help me sit up a little bit please."

Thomas looks at the doctor who nods. "Give her some support."

Thomas gets on the bed and sits behind her, using his whole body to prop her upright. She exhales and leans against his chest as Polly approaches with Richard. "Here's your boy."

On cue, Richard starts to cry, causing Kate to smile as she reaches for him. Her arms are weak, but she finds the strength to pull him close. Thomas places his arm under hers for extra support. "Oh," she sighs as she looks at him. "he's so wonderful." She looks up at Thomas. "Thank God, he's got you're wonderful eyes."

"Have you two named him?"

Thomas nods. "Richard Austin Shelby."

Kate's father smiles approvingly as he sits on the edge of the bed. "A good strong name." Kate smiles at him. "I'm so glad to see you smile. This whole house would be dark without you and this man would be lost." Kate chuckles faintly as she runs a finger over Richard's tiny hand. He responds by kicking his feet under the blanket. "Well everyone, I feel we should leave these three alone after the doctor checks her. She's out of danger for now and…they deserve some time alone after what they've been through."

Polly nods. "Come on Ruby and Charlie, I'll put you two to bed. Now, you'll be able to sleep."

Everyone says their wishes before filing out of the room. Kate exhales raggedly, which Thomas notices. "Here" He takes Richard from her and hands him to the doctor. He then gently guides Kate to lie back onto the covers. "I'll go get his crib from Polly and then I'll stay in here tonight."

Kate reaches for his hand and whispers. "I told you, I'm not going anywhere without you. I promise."

And with that, Thomas lays a kiss on her lips that is so sweet and tender that she's sure that it would have brought her back from the dead, had she actually died. But she wasn't planning on dying anytime soon. Who knows what trouble Thomas Shelby could get into if she wasn't there to keep him in check?

* * *

**Idcam: I'll take mercy on you and give you a chapter. (Did you listen to 'A woman's worth' by Kate Bush? Ugh! She is a marvelous writer and singer!) There's not that many chapters and I'm going to miss this story when it's done.**


	60. 60: Don't put your foot on the heartbrea

Chapter sixty: Don't put your foot on the heartbreak

* * *

_Fourteen months later,_

* * *

Oh, how life had changed in such a short time.

Noni and Arthur had finally gotten married after the birth of their daughter Georgiana Grace Shelby. After a bitter custody battle, Arthur had won full custody of his son Billy. Noni had immediately proposed that they moved to a little cottage by the seaside several hours away. Thomas missed his brother, but he had to admit that this was the happiest he had ever seen Arthur. Noni had been a good influence on Arthur, she'd helped him give up the cocaine and keep his temper in check. According to Noni, the happiest moment of their days was training before the children woke up.

Kate's father had decided to retire from the business two months ago and she'd offered him the option to move into the house. Her father agreed readily, loving to be around the children and Polly. While it wasn't exactly a love affair, the two had known great loss and it was a comfort to talk to someone who understood you on such a deep level. Polly had cut Michael free from her life after it was confirmed that he had been conspiring with her brother to take out Thomas. Her father's right hand man, had taken over the business, with the pledge that the Shelby and Kovach family were kept safe.

Kate sets Richard on the ground; he immediately toddles towards Jodie, who looks to Kate. She nods. "Go ahead and pick him up."

"Alright." Jodie picks up Richard and peers closely at Kate. "Are you alright? You look pale."

Kate sighs. "I know it."

"Mother threw up in the car, again." Ruby informs Jodie with a smile.

"It was your deviled egg sandwich that made her sick the first time." Charlie stated with a disgusted face. "The second time, it was all those cinnamon rolls she ate."

Kate laughs. "Very amusing you two. Go on upstairs; I'll be there in a minute. I need to talk to your father first." She looks to Jodie. "He in a good mood?"

Jodie nods. "He's been quiet today. Actually called me Jodie today for the first time."

"Will wonders never cease?" Kate chuckles before muttering. "Please stay in a good mood."

Kate steps towards the library, her heart racing as she taps on the door. "Come on in Kate." He says matter-of-factly, causing her to smile. Kate smiles uneasily as she steps into the library. He looks up at her, peering over his glasses at her. "You look lovely."

"Thank you." Kate sits on the edge of desk and leans forward to kiss him lightly on the mouth.

"You seem uneasy." He states as he sets down his pen. He smirks. "How much money did you spend on clothes today?"

"Nothing actually." She inhales. "I can't help but feel you're going to be mad at me."

"Why?" he sits up slightly. "Did ya wreck the car?"

"No."

"Are the children hurt?"

"No."

He stood up and took her hand. "What is it luv?"

She inhaled and whispered. "I'm pregnant."

He blinked and stared at her, his expression cold and unreadable. "What? We were careful."

"I know, but…I am." she inhales. "I think…we had a bit too much fun on my birthday."

"You're sure that you're pregnant?" she nods as he stares at her before stating the words that nearly cause her to pass out. "Terminate it."

"No." she stared at him in total disbelief. "I won't murder our child Thomas!"

"If it comes between you and it, I'll choose you."

"You can't mean that!" she knew he'd be upset, but she hadn't anticipated that he'd be this angry.

"Damn right I do!" he shouts. "I won't go through that again!"

"Well, I'm not exactly gun-ho to go through the labor again, but I'm going to have our baby."

"God, I can't believe this!" he jumps up from his chair and shouts. "I won't allow it Kate!"

"You won't allow it?" she shrieks. "What are you going to do? Tie me down and force me to drink whatever will cause me to miscarry!"

"If that's what I need to do," he growls. "I'll do it."

"You bastard!" she screams at him. "God!" Kate gets a sharp cramp in her side, causing her to gasp. Thomas heads instantly towards her, but for the first time in years, Kate pushes him away. "Stay away from me. I need to calm down without you near me!"

"Kate, that-

"It's just a cramp!" She shouts. "I'm fine!"

With that, she inhales deeply and walks calmly out of the library, slamming the door behind her. Thomas lets out a curse and a glass flies at the door. She sighs and closes her eyes. She should care that he was hurt and angry, but she upset and furious as well. She moved to the parlor. She was going to lie down, take a nap and try to calm down.

* * *

_That evening,_

* * *

Kate yawns as she stumbles from the parlor to the dining room. Thomas looks up at her and she glowers at him as she moves to her spot. "Everything alright?" her father asks as she sits stiffly down beside Thomas. "You seem tired?"

"Yes."

Her father's eyes narrow. "That's not all that's wrong. I can sense it."

"We had a fight." Kate bites out as she slaps her napkin into her lap. "And we're still fighting."

Polly shoots them both a look. "Well, don't let it drag out too long."

"It won't. I scheduled an appointment for you, Kate." he said coldly, without looking up. Kate drops her fork and exhales, ready to fight again. "You're going tomorrow."

"No." she bites out. "I'm not."

"Yes, you are." She shakes her head as he slams his hand on the table, causing everyone to jump. "Damn it Kate! I want you to-

"I don't f**king care what you want Thomas Michael Shelby!" she shouts as she jumps up from the table, eyes flashing. He stared at her, unaccustomed to using profanity. She hated the word, but she was driving a point across to him. "I know, you didn't want me to get pregnant this soon, but I am! I am not terminating our baby!"

"Baby?" her father stares at them. "Kate, you're pregnant?"

"Not for long." Thomas states.

"Hold on!" Polly snaps. "Kate's pregnant, and you don't want the baby? That's what the fights about?"

"Yes." He roars in anger. "She needs to terminate it."

"You're such a cruel, unfeeling bastard!" she shouts back in his face.

"Kate, calm down, breathe." Polly stated as she stood up and moved to Kate's side. "Sit down, breathe. Thomas, if you can't try to discuss this civilly with her, then leave. You're in no danger; she is by you putting stress on her."

"I agree." Her father states. "My daughter tells you that she's having your child and you want her to terminate it? You should be happy; you're going to be a father again!"

"Not if it means losing her." he growls out.

Everyone is silent for a moment, breathing rapidly, trying to find their calm. "What does," Ruby licked her lips as she asked nervously as all eyes went to her. "terminate mean?"

Everyone was silent, except for Kate who chose to state. "In this instance, terminate means to kill."

Ruby and Charlie gasped in shock. Charlie spoke first. "You want mommy to kill our baby brother?"

"Or sister?" ruby asks. "I want a sister!"

He shot her a deathly look. "Nicely played Kate." Thomas clears his throat. "If not, the baby will kill your mother." That caused both of the children to freeze. "Like little Johnny almost did. She needs time to get her strength back, and then…she can have another one."

"Once I realized I was pregnant, I went straight to see Doctor Blake. He thinks that should I take it easy, it will be a good pregnancy, unlike the last one."

"He can't guarantee that!"

"Thomas, there was a lot of stress going on for me while I was carrying Richard. I was being robbed, kidnapped, beaten and even shot at! If I stay here and take it easy, all should be well."

"But he can't guarantee that." he stood up. "If you die….things will go back to the way they were before you married me."

"And if you force me to terminate my child," she stands up and holds his gaze. "what makes you think I could ever love you again?"

He froze in place. "Kate."

"I love you Thomas Shelby, but I will not terminate our child. It's _a_ part of you and me. I won't do it." she exhales. "No more. We'll discuss this tomorrow."

"I'm not hungry." He states as he abruptly exits the dining room.

Kate lets out a growl as she sits back down. "How hard and cruel can a man be?"

"I can understand his worry Kate. He was very scared during Richard's birth."

"I know," Kate states. "it was scary for me too. It's still scary but he can't just tell me to terminate my baby without discussing options first. He just decided to completely override my thoughts and feelings. That's the first time he's _ever _done such a thing I'm not going to allow him to walk all over me."

"What if you die?" ruby asks. "I didn't like daddy before he married you."

Kate smiles uneasily at her. "I'm not leaving you all, I promise."

Her father nods. "And you two, in order to help your mother in her pregnancy, help her out. I'll tell you what you can do to help her out."

"Let's just have dinner; we can discuss things in the morning."

In spite of the explosion, dinner managed to go down pleasantly enough. Kate went up to her room, which had been converted, into a nursery for Richard. In a few years, he'd have his own room. Kate changed as was brushing her hair when she heard Thomas come into his room and slam the door. She exhaled and continued brushing her hair and then checking on Richard one last time. He was tired and had fallen asleep right away.

Kate pushed the door to their adjoining room open, causing Thomas to look up at her with a glower. She ignores the glower as she moves to the bed. "What are you doing in here?" he demands.

"I may be mad at you," she huffs as she gets under the covers. "but I'm not leaving you, now that those nightmares are almost under control." he throws back the covers and prepares to get out of his bed. "I mean it; I'll follow you wherever you plan on going, so you might as well stay in bed."

Again, Thomas cursed before flopping back onto the bed. She sighed; he was acting like a child. He turned his back to her and Kate closed her eyes. This was going to be their first major fight. Even though they shared a bed, they could not have been further apart.

* * *

**Idcam: Well, Kate's been secretly wanting to be a mother for so long, you can't blame her for wanting more. However, now everyone's upset! I don't think I'll do a sequel. The way I'm planning on ending it doesn't leave much room for a sequel. However, I have started the other idea and I'm already up to 5,000 words. But I won't be posting 'Among Angels' until I've got at least 15,000 words typed beforehand.**


	61. 61: The kick inside

Chapter Sixty-One: The kick inside

* * *

_Two months later,_

They still were not talking to each other and Kate hated it. The subject had been brought up several times, but each time it resulted in one them leaving the room furious with the other. The sleeping together/apart was the worst. She hated feeling this apart from him, but he had put her in that position.

Everyone else had been a great help, especially ruby and Charlie. Her father had given them a list of things to do to help take the stress off her. Kate had agreed to no more bending over or carrying heavy things. They also kept her up to her neck in tea to help with the nausea.

This pregnancy, Kate immediately noticed was different from when she'd been carrying Richard. She'd been as sick as a dog and she was already starting to show, most of her clothes didn't fit her. She immediately called Doctor Blake over and he confirmed exactly what she suspected. This news, once it hit Thomas was either going to shock or enrage him. She prayed for it to be shock, she was tired of his anger.

Kate shuffled towards the library door and tapped on it. "What?" he barked. She pushed the door open and stepped inside. He glowered at her. "I'm working Kate; I don't have time for this."

"Make the time. I had Doctor Blake over and he informed me that I'm having twins." Thomas freezes in place, the pen falling from his hands. "I thought you should know." he says nothing and she steps towards him. "We should talk about this Thomas."

"I can't right now." He stood up and moved to walk away. "I've got a meeting."

"Fine." he reached the door. "Let's not talk and let's keep pushing each other away until I go into labor. And then, should I die," he froze in place, his hand on the knob. "you can be tormented by how you didn't talk to me."

"Damn you Kate." He spun around and shouted. "Damn you to hell!"

"I love you too, thank you very much, Thomas Shelby." She stated as she perched on top of the corner of his desk, crossing her leg over the other and folding her hands. "I know this is extremely hard for you."

"No you don't." he snapped at her. "You've no clue."

"I do."

"I can't lose my wife a third time!" He shouted. Kate held his gaze as he shouted again. "Grace was murdered, Lizzie committed suicide and…I can't lose you too."

"I know that Thomas." She held out a hand towards him and beckoned. "Come here." He looked skeptically at her, but approached her anyway. "I know, you're terrified but I need you to be strong for me, then I'll be strong for our babies." She reached up and rested her hands on his shoulders. "There is something I shouldn't have hidden from you. With Richard, I knew that there was something wrong."

His eyes flashed. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I hate being weak, you know that. I just ignored everything, thinking it would pass. I won't do that this time."

"And this time," he inhaled as he moved his hands to hips. "is there anything wrong? Any pains or something?"

"Physically, I'm fine, but I feel so terrible because we're fighting." He exhaled and avoided her gaze. She could sense that he so desperately wanted to talk to her, but again, words failed him. Tears gathered in her eyes. "For God's sake Thomas, can we please try find some middle ground? I can't stand it being like this between us anymore. I miss you!" those words got a reaction out of him and she knew in this moment that they'd be able to fix this. "I miss what we normally share together!"

"I'm sorry," Thomas pulled her into his arms as she broke down. "I miss you too, my love."

"I hate this!" she sniffles into his chest. "I feel like I'm going through this on my own."

"The family's here for you." he tilted her chin upwards and there was the love and affection she'd been missing for weeks, shining in his eyes. "I'm here for you too, I promise." He kisses her forehead before confessing. "I'm scared Kate. I don't know if I can go through this again."

"I know, I can feel that Thomas." Kate inhales and looks up at him. "I'm scared too, but I just know that things are going to be alright this time. And I swear to you, that if I get a pain, I will sit down. If my ankles start to swell, I will stay bed ridden until our babies are born. I will take extreme care of myself. I promise."

"I still wish you would terminate, but…its twins this time." He exhales deeply. "One is one thing…but two? How the hell did I do that? Put twins into you."

She giggled. "I don't know Tommy. But," she draped her arms around his neck. "we were rather…enthusiastic. Also, my mother was a twin, so, maybe from her?" He smiled faintly at her words, prompting her to state. "I love you so much Thomas."

"I love you too Kate. I can't lose you."

"Then don't let me go too soon." With that, he pulled her forward into a hug. She held onto him tightly and rubbed his shoulders. "Don't let me go."

"God, you're a special woman Kate." He states as he presses kisses to her ear. "When we love, we love and when we hate, we hate. I never thought, I'd feel a connection like this ever with anyone in my lifetime."

"Nor I with you. Now," Kate grabbed ahold of vest and pulled him down atop of her. Thomas braced himself on the desk so he didn't fall atop of her and crush her. "you've been neglecting me." he smiled down at her. "Make it up to me."

"Hmm, tonight." He pulls her up with him. She looks disappointed as he reaches for his coat. "I've got an appointment in the village in 30 minutes."

"Really?" Kate arches her brow as she grabs his shoulder and spins him around. "Because I think, you're going to be very late."

"Kate." She kissed him hard, slipping her tongue inside his mouth, causing him to groan. Against his will, his hands were all over her body, causing her to shiver as she clung to him, bucking her hips against him. He let out a groan as he lifted her up from the ground. "Kate."

"Bookcase." She breathed against his mouth.

"Meeting." He mutters against her mouth, the last of his resistance is fraying.

"In me." she gasps out against his lips. "God, I need you in me."

"Trust me," he slams her back against the bookcase and she grips the shelves tightly. "you won't move from the floor for an hour when I'm done."

"Good!"

He breaks the kiss. "On second thought, upstairs." Kate giggled as he gripped her wrist and hurried her out of the library. "That way, you'll be stuck in bed."

Kate could only laugh as Thomas supported her around the waist. "You'll be late to your meeting!"

"They can wait a bit."

* * *

**Idcam: Having lost 2 wives already, one can imagine how hesitant he'd feel to her being pregnant again. Thomas has forgotten the letter in the safe. I'm pulling it out for the final chapter, which will be dramatic enough in itself. When it's time to post 'Among Angels', I'll add an author's note to this story, which will notify everyone that the new story is up.**


	62. 62: The infant kiss

Chapter Sixty-Two: The infant kiss

* * *

_Seven months later,_

* * *

Kate howls as Noni throws her shoe at Arthur's head. Arthur ducks, grabs Noni's shoe and throws it back at her. "If either of you," Thomas trumpets. "hits Kate, you will be sorry!"

"Take it easy poppa bear." Kate says with a smile. "You're being overprotective."

"You, are due soon." He states. "So, let's avoid all unnecessary drama."

Noni nods. "Fair point. Besides, Thomas is getting very grumpy. Hurry up and have the baby."

"That's what I've been trying to do, thank you very much!" Kate snorts and sighs. "Pass me my tea please."

Thomas chuckles and reaches for her tea. "Can't even reach the table now, luv."

"Ha, ha, ha." Kate says dryly. "Your fault, again." Kate reaches for her tea and smiles. "So, Noni when are you having another Shelby?"

"Well, we're discussing that and we're thinking let's wait a few years." She smiles. "We like where we are now. Besides, you two are bringing in more than enough Shelby into the world."

Kate suddenly freezes on the couch. Thomas instantly senses her reaction and turns towards her. "Kate? What is it?"

She bit her lip and exhaled. "Uhh, Arthur, can you call Doctor Blake please?" At those words, all the men jump up. Thomas is quickly beside her, helping her up from the couch. "My water just broke."

"God," she smiled at the tremble in Thomas's voice. "should you walk up the stairs?"

"Yes. Just support my back and help me up the stairs." Thomas grips her waist as she turns towards ruby and Charlie. "Go find your aunt and grandfather, tell them what's happening."

"Ok! Shall I tell Jodie to mind Richard?" Charlie asks as he jumps up from the floor.

"Yes please!"

"And remember, I want a sister!" ruby chimes as she runs out of the door after Charlie.

Kate laughs before inhaling. "What? Pain?"

"Not, really just a labor pain and one of them kicked me at the same moment."

"Anxious, to get out then." He chuckled uneasily as Noni came up on the other side of Kate. "I've got her."

"Noni," Kate inquires. "Thomas is in his protective mode, but, if you don't mind, could you hurry upstairs and prep my bed?"

Noni nods. "I'll also get your nightdress ready. Do you want something to drink?"

Kate shakes her head. "No thank you." Kate looks up at Thomas, noting how his hands are shaking. "It's alright Thomas, it all feels very normal."

* * *

Again, Thomas found himself pacing up and down the hall, rapidly smoking his cigarettes as the labor progressed. Kate would cry out, but it wasn't the blood curling screams in comparison to her bearing Richard. All was well, until he heard Kate arguing with Polly.

"I want him in here!" Kate suddenly screamed. "Thomas!"

"Kate?" he dropped the cigarette and moved towards the door. Arthur let out a sound as he burned his fingers, grabbing the cigarette. "I'm right here!"

"I need you in here!" Kate let out another loud cry, causing Thomas to practically rip the door off the hinge as he hurried in the room. He barely noticed anything or anyone in the room as hurried to her side and got into the bed beside her. Her hair is wet with sweat and her face is red.

"I got you. I've got you." she smiled in exhaustion as he gripped her hand tightly. "I got you."

"Hold onto me." She exhaled and her breathing slowed.

"I got you." he soothed gently. "I got you."

"That's good." the doctor smiled as he caught Thomas's eye. "It should be an easy delivery now, keep her calm. Should have had you in here the last time."

"It's not right for a man to be in the nursing room." Polly states as she runs a damp cloth over Kate's face.

"He's….my rock." Kate gasped. "Need him here. Ohh!"

"Ok Kate," Doctor Blake says calmly. "I need you to push now."

Kate grips Thomas's hands so tightly that he almost shouts in pain. He's fairly certain that Kate managed to dislocate his pinky finger she's crushing it that hard. Kate lets out a shout as she bears down. "Hold up." the doctor orders sharply. "Don't move Kate. Polly, I need the scissors."

"Is the baby alright?!" she turned to Thomas. "Tell me."

Without even thinking, Thomas gets off the bed and peers around to see what the problem was. However, the moment he saw their baby coming out of her, his face went white as a sheet. "Oh God." This was probably the most helpless she'd ever seen Thomas Shelby look before.

"DON'T YOU DARE FAINT ON ME THOMAS MICHAEL SHELBY!" she screams at him, jarring him out of his daze. Polly shoves Thomas back towards the bed.

"Its fine." the doctor assured them as Thomas gets back into the bed with Kate. "The chord was choking the baby's throat for a moment, but it's alright now."

"Stay back there Thomas." Polly orders. "You're not even supposed to be in here."

"Alright Kate, you need to push hard." Doctor Blake orders. "Now."

Kate grabs his hand and shouted as she pushed with all her might. Kate let out a gasp before falling back against Thomas. "God, one down."

"And, it's a girl!" Polly declares as she wraps their daughter in a blanket.

Kate lets out a laugh as she starts crying as Polly approaches them with their squalling and slippery newborn baby girl. Thomas lets out a laugh as Polly sets her daughter in her arms. "God," Thomas clears his throat. "she's beautiful Kate."

"So beautiful," Kate sniffles as she plays with a finger. "she's got your eyes again. There won't be a man alive who'll be able to not cower under her scowl when she's older."

"Well, if she looks anything like you, they won't stand a chance."

"Hmm," Kate murmurs as he kisses her. She inhales and moans as a labor pain hits her. "take her Thomas."

Polly frowns. "What is it?"

"Nothing." Thomas hands her their daughter back. "I've got you."

"They're having twins." Doctor Blake declares. "Doesn't anyone in this family tell anyone anything?"

"Twins!?" Polly shrieks. "There hasn't been a twin born to the Shelby family for years!" Kate lets out another cry as she feels another labor pain hit her. "Why didn't you two say anything?"

"Surprise?" Thomas says as Kate lets out another shout. "I've got you. You can do this."

And she did.

The final delivery went easy and there were no complications. Fifteen minutes later, Kate was holding Violet Elizabeth Shelby and Jonathan Daniel Shelby in her arms. Thomas inhale as he got into the bed with her. Everyone crowded around the bed in excitement as Thomas reaches for Violet, carefully cradling her in his arms. Kate looked up at him and smiled. "See?" she said softly. "I told you I wasn't going to leave you. You buffoon."

He let out a breath. "Don't ask me to do that again."

"I rather liked having you in here." She chuckles. "Your only course is not to get me pregnant again, Thomas Michael Shelby."

"Oh, believe me, I don't intend to." He shuddered. "That was f**king disgusting."

"You fought in the war Thomas Michael Shelby." She laughed. "I'm sure you saw far more gory things than child birth. Besides, you put these two into me; you should see them come out." Thomas let out a curse and he dropped his head back to the bed headrest, his eyes shut tightly, as everyone laughs. "I think we can try again in a few years, so until then, we'll just have to be very careful." She runs her hand over his head. "Though, you looking at me almost seem to be enough to impregnate me."

He opens his eyes up and turns towards her so that he can kiss her wrist. "Fine, we'll have one more in two years. And it better be only one more."

"I promise." As he leaned forward to kiss her lips, Kate had a suspicion that maybe she was lying to him, again.

* * *

**Angelo029: Twins run in my family and I always try to weave a bit of me into my stories.**

**Shariebery: Yes, 'Among Angels' will be a Peaky Blinder story. I am still working on it.**

**Idcam: The next chapter will be the last one. I can then fully concentrate on 'Among Angels'.**


	63. 63: Wuthering Heights

Chapter Sixty-Three; Wuthering Heights

* * *

_Eighteen months later,_

* * *

Thomas had surprised Kate by whisking her away for a month long honeymoon in France. They had visited Paris and so many places that she'd been curious about. Thomas had actually found some enjoyment in Paris during the day, but obviously, he preferred the nights. After all Paris was the city of love.

Today, however, Thomas had decided that he was ready to face the demons that had been haunting him for so many years. Kate held onto Thomas's arm as they walk through the forests of Verdun. It had rained the night before, so the roads had puddles of rainwater in them. A majority of the trees had been burned, but the trees had been making a splendid recovery. The trails had been cleaned up from the artillery; bodies had been removed and properly buried. Instead of a thick scent of blood and gunpowder, the air was filled with the rich scent of dirt and forestry. You'd almost forget that there had been a horrible battle here almost fifteen years ago.

Kate glanced at Thomas, his breathing was uneven, but he was holding up well. He glances towards her. "Need a moment?" he asks her.

She nods. "Yes." She really doesn't need it, but Thomas has been anxious for the last twenty minutes. He needed a moment to calm himself down. Kate exhales as she sits down on the large rock. Thomas sits beside her, his eyes darting around the forest. "It's…actually beautiful and peaceful here. I didn't have time to notice my surroundings at the hospital."

"Nor I." he inhales again, jumping slightly when a bird flies away from a branch.

She pats his hand. "I've got something for you."

He frowns as she reaches into her coat and hands him a yellowed envelope. "What's that?"

"Well, I was putting a few things in the safe when I saw this." She hands it to him. "You were supposed to open it several years ago. It's from my grandfather."

Thomas brow arches as he nods. "Yes, I remember. I never did get around to opening."

She nods. "I brought it with us, waiting for the right moment, should it arise."

He exhales as he opens the letter. "Guess now's a good time." He unfolds it. "Shall I read it aloud to you?"

Kate nods. "Yes please."

Thomas clears his throat as he reaches into his pocket and pulls out his glasses. He takes a second before starting to read. "To the man who married my granddaughter." Kate's eyes widen in surprise at those words. Even Thomas appears to be taken aback by her grandfather's words. She shifts closer towards him. "The moment I saw the sun rise in my granddaughter's eyes, I knew she had finally met the one who would stand beside her and love her all her days. My God allowed me to see you before she herself knew that she belonged to you." Thomas reaches for her hand and squeezes it. "My granddaughter has always been like the river, stretching outwards to touch others, but having no one to hold her. I have tried to be of comfort to her, but it is not for me to cast the darkness from her heart."

Thomas pauses for a moment, clearing his throat before continuing. "You Sir, stand alone like a pine tree, weathered from years of fight. Kate will be like the river…to wrap herself around you, nurture and cleanse you and by doing so, restore light to her own heart. You will be her strength and her life will be fulfilled, no more roaming the earth looking for happiness."

Kate blinks as tears dribble down her cheek. "I wish, that my God had allowed me to be present for your union, but that is not to be. My people and my way of life, like me, is dying. I will be dead before she even crosses the ocean to return to you. But I can die with the knowledge that my family lines will be continued with your five children." Kate laughs lightly and wipes a tear away. Thomas shakes his head. "I will be watching over you both and showering you both with as many blessings until we meet again. God be with you both."

Thomas exhales deeply and carefully refolds the letter. Kate sniffles as she reaches for his pocket-handkerchief to dab her eyes. "That was…unexpected." Thomas nods in agreement. "How did he know?"

"Damned if I know. Hell of a magic trick." Kate smiles as she refolds his handkerchief and tucks it back into his breast pocket. "I should have liked to have meet your grandfather. He seemed like a very interesting man."

"That he was." She cleared her throat. "He always claimed to have the gift of foresight and until today, I never believed him."

"Well, he got one thing wrong. You only gave me three children, not five." He kisses her cheek. "And we're not having five."

"Actually, Thomas," she bites her lip. "I have something to tell you."

"What Kate?" He wipes his eyes with an exhale. "And it better not be what I think you're going to say to me."

She rubs his arm as she says. "I'm fairly certain that I'm pregnant again."

He stiffens and blurts out. "No you're not."

Kate laughs at the look on his face. "Yes, I am."

"No," he shakes his head in denial. "you're f**king not!"

Kate smiles broadly at him, loving this reaction. "Thomas, I am pregnant."

"You're not kidding?" she shakes her head. "Damn you to hell Kate."

Kate howled with laughter. "I'm sorry." Thomas started cursing again as he threw his hat on the ground in aggravation. "Easy there, it's not good for your blood pressure. Your hair is turning gray too."

"Who the hell do you think is responsible for that?" he demands.

She smiles. "I have no idea, this time, I think it was Valentine's Day." She sobers. "But I don't think its twins. It doesn't feel like it."

"Well, that's assuring." He says sarcastically. "Means I'm going to knock you up one more time then, which will not happen Kate!"

Kate laughs as she kisses his cheek. "God, I love you so much Thomas Michael Shelby. I hope we have one of each, keep the numbers even."

"I love you too Kate." He stands up and holds his hand out to her. "Shall we go now?"

Kate smiles and takes his hand as he pulls her upright. "I'll follow you anywhere."

"Makes sense," he yanks her against him. "I give you an inch, and you take a f**king mile, each damn time!" Kate kisses him to silence him. He lets out a grumble as he returns her kiss. In that moment, the clouds part to allow the sun to shine brightly through the clouds. He breaks the kiss, planting one on her nose. "I'm not sure what the future holds Kate."

She smiles she looks upwards at the sky. "I don't know, from where I'm standing, things look pretty bright."

Thomas chuckles. "Indeed it does, and with you in it…it keeps looking brighter." Kate smiled as he wrapped an arm around her waist and they continued towards the field. With the past firmly behind them, they had a whole future ahead of them that would be filled with many more moments of pleasure.

* * *

**Idcam: Sorry about the delay, I hate writing the final chapter. I thought it was something that Thomas couldn't be able to handle! When re-reading my story, might I suggest listening to the Kate Bush songs per chapter? Her music was such an inspiration for this whole story and help give the story a new perspective. Especially King of the Mountain, Running up that hill, Cloudbursting, Between a man and woman, Man with the child in his eyes. and Song of Solomon.**


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